The Hat Hangs Heavy
by bigdogneversleeps
Summary: A story where Naruto becomes Hokage, one which has not been done a hundred times. This is an alternative timeline, going back to the Original Naruto Days. No harem, no super Naruto, just a NaruHina story with a Naruto who gets logically better overtime. Maybe lemons, maybe not. Will have language. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so here is my first Naruto story, after months of reading them, so I hope you find it acceptable. Now, I will admit I took inspiration here, big time by Traban16, and his story. Naruto: the REAL fifth Hokage. Yes, this is a story where Naruto become the Fifth Hokage instead of Tsunade. However, mine is different from Traban16 for multiple reasons. No offense to him, but he seems to be forcing many things in, where as a good story is more relaxed and honest. As such, there is no harem, which has everyone falling in love with him. This is strictly NaruHina. I love this pairing, and this is how I'm going to write it. Also, no super Naruto. I hate it. It is my pet peeve in Naruto stories, when he becomes a god overnight pretty much. Naruto will become strong faster than in the story, yes, but not so god he can do a 100 A-rank justus one week into his reign. That is ridiculous. I want my story to be realistic, and have written it as such. If you see any problems with it, please tell me. I want to write one of the great stories on FF. net, and not just another one. Kapesh? And please please please review. It does motivate writers to write more, I'm telling ya! So enjoy The Hat Hangs Heavy...

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Scumbag Kishimoto won't give it to me.

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There was a solemn silence over the room as they people entered. A few of the village's top jounin, such as Sarutobi Asuma and Hatake Kakashi entered. Also entering were all of the clan leaders of the village, from the Hyuga to the Akimichi to the lesser clans of Kishimoto and Tanizaki. Following them into the room was the members of the civilian council. Finally into the room lumbered in the toad sage Jiraiya, who was being exceptionally quiet. But all understood the reason for his silence, and said nothing of it. Already in the room were the three elders who advised Sarutobi personally, his teammates Homura and Koharu and his rival Danzo. In the room, over 30 people gathered to make one of the hardest decisions of their life.

Koharu took lead once everyone was seated. "Hello, fellow shinobi and councilmembers. As you all understand, today we called this meeting forward to try and decided who shall become the Godaime Hokage." She was interrupted by one of the councilmembers.

"Why can't we simply rule the village in a council like this. We in the civilian council run the affairs quite effectively in this format, so why shouldn't we run the village as such?"

Koharu looked at the councilmember almost pitifully. "I am afraid you do not understand what exactly the Hokage does for this village besides leads the shinobi, councilor. His role is much too important to be run by this council."

Homura continued, "The Hokage also assigns missions, the commander of the shinobi in war, the person who singularly represents this village, and is the idol of our people. Can a council do that?"

The councilmember began to slowly shake his head. "No, I guess not, but why can't he simply be a figurehead, and we have the control?" Danzo raised his eyebrow at that thought, but no one noticed his reaction. They were more focused on Homura.

"No, that will simply not work. The Hokage makes some of the most difficult decisions possible for this village, and often needs to be immediate actions. No meetings, no debates, no votes, but a split second decision. And leaving the power to this council is unwise, as the choices of the Hokage can be limited to just one man, instead of many."

Koharu finished up the discussion. "And above that, the Hokage is a full-time position, and so would the council. It would be illogical to remove over two dozen top shinobi from the field, or away from the duties of their clan. A Hokage is the only option possible. As such, it is time for nominations to be made." She looked to the large council. "Now, are there any nominations to be made?"

"I nominate Uzumaki Naruto to become the Godaime Hokage." This one sentence stopped the council cold, before anyone else could say their nomination, and forced everyone to slowly turn to the source of the shocking declaration. A stunned silence took over the room as the words sunk in.

After a minute of silence, a civilian councilmember was the first to speak. "You want the Kyuubi to run the village?" People surrounding him began to nod.

Another civilian councilmember spoke up. "Forget the demon in him, he's barely 13! How in the hell could he possibly be fit to lead a mission. Let alone a whole village!"

A third stood up and spoke. "For god's sake, he is a genin! And barely one at that! Making him Hokage is insane"

Finally, a fourth councilmember shook his head. "Have you gone mad?"

The rest of the civilian councilmember nodded in agreement, while the jounin's, clan head's, and elders stayed silent as they tried to rationalize this nomination. Even Jiraiya was temporarily speechless at his student being nominated for the position he feared he would be stuck with. He quickly recovered, however, and spoke up.

"What are you playing at Danzo?" He eyed him suspiciously. Why would he nominate Naruto of all people? Everyone knew Danzo wished to be Hokage; it was not a secret to a person in the room, so why nominate someone else? "Are you trying to weaken the field of candidates, so you may slip in as Hokage?"

Danzo, to his credit, did not flinch. He looked at Jiraiya, with his un-bandaged eye, and smirked. "That is an interesting thought, Gama-sannin, but it is not my intention. I honestly nominate Uzumaki to be the next Hokage of this village."

People were still trying to rationalize it, when Nara Shikaku spoke up and asked the question everyone wondered. "Why? Why him?"

All eyes focused on Danzo as he was expected to explain. He acquiesced." To your point, Councilman Taniguchi, even you should realize he is no demon. He fought off the one tailed bjuu Shukaku with no hesitation, instead of joining him in its destruction. He is simply its container, the force stopping the demon from destroying us. As long as he lives, the Kyuubi is held back. He is someone to be respected." The shinobi of the room were surprised at Danzo's words, as they did not think it fit his philosophy.

Danzo continued to answer his critics. "As for his age, I should say it does not matter in the grand scheme. The traitor Uchiha led ANBU at his age. Hatake Kakashi was leading the first major strike of the Third Shinobi World War at that age. Why can't a 13 year old be Hokage?"

Finally, a tall jounin interrupted him. "They were prodigies, while Uzumaki was a dead last. If we use your logic, why don't we put Uchiha Sasuke as Hokage? He is a prodigy, and has much talent already."

Danzo waved him off. "What do you call mastering a jounin level technique, by oneself, within a space of a few hours? Or having the capabilities of alluding our chunin and jounin at the age of 10 when he was playing his pranks? Or being able to summon the boss of the Toad contract on two separate occasions? His abilities are very raw, but I- we can develop them into the strongest the village and the whole world has ever seen, and make him truly a great Hokage."

A few, like Jiraiya, Shikaku, and Abrurame Shibi saw what was going on at that moment. Danzo knew he wasn't likely to be nominated, due to his perceived weakness and his philosophy so he was finding a ninja he could manipulate to his will. But still, why Naruto? Jiraiya spoke up again.

"Kakashi and I are training him currently, and I think we can both say that he is not yet ready mentally to be Hokage. He is still too trusting, and lacks many of the social graces needed to fill the position. It will take years before he can mentally perform the duties of Hokage, let alone be strong enough to be considered for the role." Kakashi gave a slight nod in admission.

Danzo gaze fell upon the Sannin, and he looked back. Eventually, Danzo spoke. "Maybe, or maybe not. I think that much of the training needed could be accomplished within a short time if he were to realize the ability of the Shadow Clone Jutsu he uses so readily."

One of the civilian councilmembers was curious. "What do you mean?"

Danzo sighed. "It is a shame his progress has been limited by his sensei's not showing him such. A clone will gain the memories of what they experienced. I assume the boy has not realized this yet since he uses them to overwhelm his enemies and let them be quickly defeated, thus gaining not enough experience to register in his mind."

Kakashi was quick to defend himself. "While this is true, I was worried about the side effects gaining knowledge in such a way. In a young teenager such as Naruto, his mind is still developing, and thus could cause dangerous mental strain on him. No one Naruto's age, without years of conditioning to deal with such strain, had ever learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and thus we would not know the effects it may have."

Jiraiya nodded. "I had similar fears. Also, my training with him has mainly dealt with individual chakra control and the summoning jutsu. Both required concentration and steady chakra, which would have been disrupted had he used shadow clones."

Danzo pondered this for a moment, and slowly began to nod. "I see. However, I think it would be for the best for him to start training in such a manor, so he will quickly live up to his title of Hokage. His strength could grow quickly, and he could learn everything he needs to learn, so that he may take the mantle of the Hokage. While we the council run the village, he can train up his abilities."

A few ninjas began to suspect a political coupe in the works, when the council takes over and has the Hokage-in-waiting never take charge. Or killed. Those who felt like that began to eye Danzo even more suspiciously.

The civilian councilmembers narrowed their eyes. One spoke up. "Why are you so sure we will allow such a thing? Even if you are right about his container status, he is too much of a risk mentally to hold such power, as his senseis have remarked. Also, he is still only 13! Could we please move on to a legitimate nomination?"

Danzo stared at the woman who just spoke." This is quite legitimate. I believe he is quite able to perform such tasks, with the help of the council, the elders, and his sensei's."

Finally Hyuga Hiashi spoke. "You mean you want a willing puppet, and the boy who screams out that he will be Hokage is the perfect puppet to pull the strings with." Many of the shinobi in the room began to nod, happy that the suspected truth was out in the open.

Danzo looked at the Hyuga clan head. "I will admit I want to influence the decisions of our village, but only for the best. I wish to seek the survival of Konohagakure, and this boy has shown a willingness to protect the entirety of the village, which I respect. " He turned his attention to the entirety of the council. "Honestly, I wish nothing more to lead my village to glory. But many accuse me of being a war hawk, and thus unfit to rule a "peaceful" village. Others say my… physical capabilities show weakness. While I disagree vehemently against the first charge, I respect the logic of the second tremendously. If the Hokage is not fit, then how can one suspect its village to be so? So, I am doing the next best thing, and putting someone who I think would be able to do whatever is needed for the village to succeed is just that. He has the power of the most powerful force in the world within him, and will be able to defend his village with that power. If you think about it, he is perfect for the role. He is young, malleable enough to train, highly loyal, powerful, and has the desire to prove himself. He is not the right choice for today, but if we let him grow into the role, he will be the perfect choice to rule the village. We will groom him as such. And if he is too weak to be the Hokage this village needs, he will be weak enough to remove from office and replace with a worthy shinobi. It is a win-win situation for the village."

Many looked at the man with great suspicion, but unsure of how to counter. A councilmember was the first to try. "Would it not be safer to have a strong Hokage now, instead of hoping to have one in the future?"

Danzo shook his head. "We must look at the future for the role of Hokage. A good Hokage know means nothing if they pass on in a few years and we must begin the search all over again. And though the Hokage will not be strong, this council will help lead the way until the day he becomes strong."

A clan head of one of the minor clans spoke up next. "Why not choose another strong, young shinobi then? If you must seek from the youth, why not at the Nara heir, who was the only one fit to become a chunin? Or Uchiha Sasuke, who is beloved and strong already?"

Nara Shikaku, shockingly, spoke up. "My son would never take the role. He would see it as too troublesome. And the Uchiha… "He stopped, trying to think how to best phrase this. " He is very much like Danzo here, a great warrior and mind, but lacking in some area to take the role. Danzo lacks in image, the Uchiha lacks in his vengeance. We all know of how his clan was massacred, and how he wishes to kill his brother who did it. Until that day occurs, his focus will be on that goal. He would focus the powers of the Hokage against that one man, and could potentially destroy his village. And afterwards, if he beats his brother, he wishes to resurrect the Uchiha clan and become its head. He will not be in the right place mentally to be Hokage. No, the Uchiha can never take the mantel."

Danzo spoke up. "Very few want to be Hokage. The hat is quite heavy, the pressure to much for many. In this village, I know of only three people who would earnestly want this job. Myself, which cannot come to pass, the grandson of the Sandrine, who has not even entered the academy, or Uzumaki Naruto. By default, he can be the only one that takes up its mantel."

Hyuga Hiashi rose up. "I would be willing to take the mantel. And I am sure other worthy shinobi would as well." Slowly, he gestured to the crowd, waiting for another champion to stand up. He stared at a few he thought that would.

Jiraiya shook his head. "I was never meant for that chair, and I am too vital for our spy networks to run the office."

Nara Shikaku began to shake his head. "The paperwork… way too troublesome. And I doubt many would want a Hokage who is afraid of his wife." A few chuckled at the comment, as they knew of Yoshino's temper and Shikaku's concern.

Hatake Kakashi shook his head. "I do not want this job. I saw what it comprised of with Sensei, and it really isn't my cup of tea."

Finally, Sarutobi Asuma shook his head. "Dad once told me that I shouldn't be Hokage, that I am too important as a member of Konoha to coup myself up into that tower."

Hyuga Hiashi nearly growled at his failure, but did not show his displeasure. He saw an opening. "Asuma-san has accidentally risen a valid point. Uzumaki knows not enough about the world of shinobi to lead a village. He is too ignorant of this world to lead it."

Danzo just stared at the Hyuga. "He can be taught. And what is so bad at not knowing the evils of the job. It may help him keep a clearer conscience when he sends someone to their deaths for the good of the village."

There was a hush over the room as they mulled over this. Danzo decided to go for the kill. "Finally, Uzumaki Naruto is perfect for the role of Hokage since he has the heritage to back up such a task."

Jiraiya and Kakashi both opened their eyes widely as they heard Danzo subtly hint at who Naruto's parents were. Before they could stop the ball from rolling, the Akimichi clan head spoke up. "What do you mean his heritage? Uzumaki was orphaned at birth, and chosen for the sealing process since no one knew who his parents were. And if they have survived, no one claimed him as their son."

Danzo smirked. "I believe Jiraiya is most suited to announce this, wouldn't you say?"

Jiraiya glared back at him. "It was meant to stay a secret, Danzo. You know that!"

"I also know that this is an important fact for the council in their decision making process. It needs to be heard. I am giving you the respect of telling them, but I will rescind the offer and say it myself if necessary."

Jiraiya knew he was backed into a corner. He had to announce it. "Damn you, Danzo." He turned to the council. "If I even hear a whisper of this on the streets, even the most basic allusion to it, I will deal with who leaked it. Sensei was too lax in what was done with Naruto and the Kyuubi, but I will not be. This secret is the second highest guarded secret in the village."

Stupidly, a councilmember asked, "What's the highest guarded secret?"

Jiraiya just glared at the idiot. "It is a secret only known to a handful of people at the top know of. Only the elders, Danzo, and the Hokage can know it. Even I have been left unaware of what it is, I just know it exists. Anyway, the parents of Uzumaki Naruto… I cannot honestly believe no shinobi has realized it, it is that obvious. I would have expected Shikaku would know-"

The Nara clan leader shook his head. "No, I haven't a clue. I think my son figured it out though. A few days ago he was asking about Naruto's parents, and some basic rules of genetics. He had one of those looks he gets when he realizes something shocking, but he shook it off saying that it was too much of a drag to talk about."

Jiraiya laughed. "So someone figured it out. Good to hear. I'm sure someone would have put together the looks of his father and personality of his mother and see that Naruto was the end result."

The council quickly raced to figure out who Jiraiya meant, but the toad sage beat everyone to the punch. "Uzumaki Naruto is the son of Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato."

Jaws all around were dropped, and more than a few of the councilmembers who hadn't treated Naruto well over the years began to get nervous. One decided not to accept it. "Impossible. We all know the child was loss when Kushina was giving birth during the Kyuubi attack. And there is no way the Yondaime would make his son a container of the demon."

Danzo was the one to respond. "Initial reports did say the baby died during birth, but we later learned it was kidnapped by a masked figure minutes after birth. The official story was never retracted as both Kushina and Minato died, leaving the child orphan. We determined it…irresponsible to acknowledge the heritage of the child. Iwa and Kumo would have both been threats because of the child."

A petite blue-haired jounin asked, "Why Kumo? I know Iwa hated the Yondaime, but what did Kumo have against him?"

Homura, the elder who had been quiet up until then, spoke up. "Kumo had little qualm with the Yondaime, but more interested in his heritage of Uzumaki Kushina."

"Because?"

Homura looked regretfully at the Hyuga clan leader. "The kidnapping of your heiress was not the first attempt by Kumo to acquire a female member of this village. Years ago, Kushina was kidnapped and taken due to her chakra capabilities. Interestingly enough, it was the Yondaime who saved her and actually began their romance after this."

Hyuga Hiashi slowly nodded. "I knew of this already. Though we were not very close, Kushina and I were on the same Genin team for a few years, and I kept up tabs on my acquaintance. But still, it is hard to believe that Uzumaki is their son."

Jiraiya nodded. "Well, believe it." In the village, a blonde shinobi suddenly sneezed,

The councilmember from before resume his questioning, "I still do not believe that our Yondaime would seal the Kyuubi into his own son. He would never let his son become a monster, and…" He stopped when he felt the chakra at his throat. Jiraiya had leaped across the room, formed a Rasengan, and aimed it at his neck. He really, really hated ignorance and blatant lies.

"Naruto is no monster, but that surprises me. I see how he is treated, and how he kept sane and still loves this village is beyond me. But never, and I mean ever, call him a monster. Or else I will show you a real monster…" Jiraiya inched the Rasengan closer to his throat, but let the jutsu dissipate before it touched skin.

He turned away coldly as he spoke. "Tell me councilor, what were your thoughts on the Yondaime's wife, Kushina?"

The councilor tried to control his breathing, but it was not an easy task. He managed to stutter out a response. "Well… she was a little annoying, but she was a good person, and loved the village."

"And what do you know of Uzumaki Mito?"

The councilor raised his eyebrow. "I believe… she was the wife of the first Hokage, correct? She lived along time, and was considered a great person."

Jiraiya nodded. "Correct sir. Two women, both good people, both the wives of Hokage's. Both from the same clan, Uzumaki, but not by any relation. Both, however, would be hated in this time. They would be mistreated, ignored, and possibly even abused."

The councilor grew angry. "What! Why? They were good people, they wouldn't deserve that!"

Jiraiya nodded. "They do not, as does Naruto. But being the container of the Kyuubi changes that, does it not?"

A gasp came from everyone in the room. To most of the jounin, clan heads, and council, it was the revelation that two of their Hokage's wives were previous container of the demon. To the elders, Kakshi, Asuma, and the Hyuga clan head, the gasp was in the fact that Jiraiya revealed that information so casually.

Danzo was the first to speak up. "Why did you speak of that? I only asked that his heritage be announced because it was of significance. But speaking about the past containers-"

"-was important to do since it would show these people that my student, Uzumaki Naruto, can be trusted and a good Hokage. I don't trust anything you are saying right now, Danzo, but I will agree that your logic is sound enough. Though I do not think he is by any means ready, I stand by you in making him Godaime Hokage. No offense, Hyuga, but you have a stick so far shoved up your ass that being Hokage simply doesn't work. And I doubt that I could get Tsunade-hime back here to take the job, so it might as well be Naruto." Jiraiya finished Danzo's sentence while giving his support. While he looked irked at being interrupted, he was thankful for the support.

A few councilmembers began to look uneasy, as the one who questioned Naruto's heritage spoke once again. "But why would the Yondaime continue this curse on the Uzumaki line? Why on his son?"

Kakashi answered this final question. "It isn't a curse, but fate. Uzumaki's have a genetic trait that lengthens their lives by almost triple the normal life span of a person while naturally producing chakra at levels twice or even three times as big as a person. This trait suits them for surviving and holding in the Kyuubi, as it would likely kill anyone else who held it. When it escaped during Kushina-chan's labor with Naruto, Naruto was the only Uzumaki capable of holding in the Kyuubi." His eye narrowed at his final thoughts. "And even if someone else could hold the Kyuubi, sensei was never one to do something unless he would do it first. If he needed someone to be the container, he could not ask the Yamanaka's to hand over their daughter, or ask the Hyuga to seal it into their unborn child. He wouldn't put it into some random orphan. No, if he were to do it, he would do it with his son."

A silence came over the room, and both the Yamanaka and Hyuga clan heads were in deep thought, about how their daughters could have been the ones subjected to the Kyuubi.

A councilmember spoke up. "I stand with you, Danzo. If not for any other reason, it will be an apology for how I've treated Uzumaki Naruto in the past."

Another councilmember rose. "As do I."

Soon, most of the councilmembers rose up. Of the 13 that were in this council, 9 went the way of Danzo and thus Naruto for Hokage.

Soon, the clan heads began to speak. "I still say I'm the best fit for Hokage." Hyuga Hiashi stubbornly spoke.

Nara Shikaku looked at his two long time friends and teammates, and mouthed something. They nodded, and he turned his attention back to the council. "Ino-Shika-Cho votes for Naruto."

Inuzuka Tsume had been quiet the whole time, a fact a few shinobi just realized and were shocked at. She was in deep thought, before she let out a growl. "I like the kid, but I'm voting for Hyuga."

The 10 clan heads came out even in their votes, 5-5, but the strength of three major clans against two for Naruto as Hokage was noticed.

Finally, the jounin began to speak.

Kakashi gave a smirk. "Like father, like son. I trust Naruto to do the right thing, with a lot of guidance. And it would be interesting to say I was taught by one Hokage, and taught another."

Sarutobi spoke up. "Dad always liked the kid, and said he would be a great Hokage someday. I don't think he meant today, but that's just life. I'm behind Naruto."

Unfortunately, they looked like they were among the few. Of the 10 jounin invited, there were only 2 others who voted for Naruto, they rest unable to find themselves being led by a 13 year old appealing.

The vote stood at 20-15, but it was not over. Neither Homura or Koharu had cast their ballots, and it required a sixty percent vote to select a Hokage. The whole room seemed to wait on them, as they sized up and imaginary Naruto and the real Hiashi.

Koharu was the first to speak. "While I find Hiashi makes the most sense, Hiruzen told me that your gut instinct is sometimes more important. And my gut is telling me that we will see great things from the boy. Though I don't like it, I will vote for Naruto."

The vote at 21-15, it was up to Homura to decide. Would Naruto become Hokage, or would he be rejected so close to his dream? Somehow, the shinobi knew that the support of the councilmembers was fleeting, and technically the vote was barely 50 percent pro-Naruto by the shinobi, so this seemed like the only shot Naruto had at Hokage this time around.

Finally Homura spoke. "I never thought it would be up to me if we had a new Hokage, I thought it would end up being a different situation. Honestly, I thought Asuma-san or Hatake-san would have taken the title, but it did not come to pass. So here I am, stuck between a 13 year old demon container with a famous legacy, or a strong, dependable clan head known as too strict and lets an atrocity like the cage seal to exist in his clan. Unfortunately for you, Hyuga-san, that decides this for me." He weakly grinned at the council

"I guess we have a new Hokage."


	2. Chapter 2

This will not be a common occurence. I just had a lot of momentum writing was and kept it up. This chapter is not what I intially planned, but I like it alot. Do not expect daily updates. This is the big chapter where Team 7 is introduced. Hope you aren't disappointed in what I did, I hope you love it! And please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Yet. Or ever.

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The realization of this hung over the room. They had just made Uzumaki Naruto, the village pariah, the resident jinchuriki, their Hokage. All of those who had not voted for him, and had voted for Hyuga Hiashi refused to believe this. Surprisingly, all but two of the people had gotten over the container issue, save for a jounin and councilwomen who had both lost lovers in the attack 13 years ago, but more over age and experience.

One of the clan heads who had voted for Hyuga rose up. "This vote is not yet finished! The Uchiha clan has not voted on the affair, and they deserve a vote!"

Danzo shook his head. "That "clan" is but one child, who is only 13 years old."

The head shook his head. "So, he plans to restore his clan, from what I understand. And we are nominating a 13 year old to be our leader. Why not have one in his age group vote? In fact, unless I am wrong, Kakashi is the jounin for a team consisting of both of them. Why shouldn't he have a vote?"

Danzo tried to shake him off. "If we use that logic, we must track down Tsunade, as she has a vote as Sannin. That could take months, and leave our village leaderless, and in the eyes of the other villages, weak."

Jiraiya raised his eyebrow at the thought, and went to say something, but was cut off by the arguing head. "No, she is not in the village, and in fact has done a self-imposed exile of this village. Its concerns is not for her to decide. The Uchiha, however, is here, and is a member of the village. He has a right to vote, and goddamn it he should have the right to execute it!"

Koharu spoke up before Danzo could retort. "I am afraid, Danzo-san, that he is correct. The Uchiha must get a vote on such an important topic. " She focused his intention on Kakashi. "Kakashi-san, if you may, retrieve your student so he may vote on this matter."

Kakashi sighed, not really wanting to bring in the Uchiha, but it was in fact necessary. "Should I bring Naruto as well? This vote does concern him becoming Hokage."

Koharu nodded. "Yes, that will work perfectly. Now please, hurry up."

Kakashi lazily put his hands into the necessary sign. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." He muttered, as a copy of himself appeared. It disappeared out the door, to do the task at hand.

Nara Shikaku looked around at the council, and thought about what was at stake. And it was up to the vote of the Uchiha. He almost laughed to himself. "Now, we wait."

…

Slowly, the trio of Team Seven made their way from the training grounds to Naruto's haven, his beloved home away from home, Ichikaru's. They normally didn't eat ramen with him, but they were too tired to think about going anywhere else for lunch.

Naruto gave a grin. "I think I'm gonna order 4- no 6 bowls of beef- no pork- no miso- miso pork ramen. That sounds really good. What are you going to get Sakura-chan?"

She could barely shrug. "I don't know, maybe salt or plain or something. Do they serve anything besides ramen?

Naruto shrugged. "Probably. I don't know what, since I always order ramen. What about you, Sasuke? What are you gonna get?"

Sasuke mustered up a glare because of the nickname. "I don't know dobe. What are you getting again?"

Naruto didn't realize what he was called. "6 bowls of miso pork."

Sasuke turned his lips into a smirk. "I'm having 7 bowls of miso pork."

Naruto nearly stopped at that. He gave a suspicious glare at Sasuke. "You know, I'm feeling extra hungry today. Make that 8 bowls."

"Did I say 7? I meant 9."

Sakura saw where this was going. It was a repeat of dinner with Tsunami all over again. "Guys, stop it."

"10."

"11."

Naruto's nostril's flared. "12 bowls of ramen! Believe it! Beat that, teme!"

Sasuke nearly cracked a smile. Nearly. "Watch me, dobe."

"Unfortunately for both of you, you will be getting no ramen as of now. Both of you are wanted at the Grand Council Meeting on the third floor of the Hokage tower. Now. You can eat after your presence is no longer needed." Kakashi showed up behind them, scaring them all slightly.

Naruto was the first to recover. "Watch it, Kakashi-sensei, you nearly killed me! I can't die before I'm Hokage! Believe it!"

Kakashi couldn't help but think to himself, 'Won't you be in for a shock, Naruto.'

Sakura was the next to recover. "Darn it, sensei. Why did you have to scare us like that?"

Sasuke quickly recovered and ignored the obvious. "You said the third floor of the Hokage Tower?"

Kakashi nodded. "Correct, so you and Naruto better get a move on."

Naruto looked puzzled. "Why do they need us for?"

Kakashi looked at him knowingly. "You will find out once you get there."

Naruto just nodded. "Alrighty. Hey, I bet I can beat you there!" He turned to look at Sasuke, but saw empty space. He looked around, and saw Sasuke had already left to the tower, taking the rooftops. "Oh, no you don't!" Naruto yelled, and furiously made chase.

Sakura just stared at the duo, and then to Kakashi sensei. She wanted to follow; she really did, but food… "Hey sensei, do you want to get some ramen with me."

Kakashi shrugged. "Why not? Better than just dispelling myself."

Sakura was taken aback. "You're a kage bunshin?"

The bunshin nodded. "The real me is back at the meeting."

Sakura stared back in the direction of the tower. So tempting, but…

"C'mon, let's get some ramen, Kakashi-sensei bunshin."

…

Sasuke heard the loud footsteps behind him, but ignored them. It was just the dobe trying to beat him to the meeting room. He was at the door, and looked up at the ANBU who were covering the entrances.

"Kakashi-sensei sent for me and the dobe back there. Could I get in?"

The ANBU behind the Turtle mask sized up the Uchiha, and nodded. He opened the door, and Sasuke walked right in, with a stumbling Naruto following him seconds later. Once Uzumaki cleared the doorway, the ANBU shut the door closed. He turned to his partner in ANBU, Rat, and whispered, "Why would they need those two to help decide for Hokage?"

Rat shrugged, "I'm betting they need to vouch for someone. Maybe Kakashi-senpai? They are his students."

Turtle thought about it, and nodded. "Probably. That is odd to think. Kakashi-san as Hokage? Nothing will get down for three hours every day."

Rat let out a little laugh. "Yeah."

…

Naruto managed to right himself before he bowled into somebody, and found himself being looked at by the 38 people in the room. Slightly embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, sorry, I was trying to get here as fast as possible and I kind of sort of tripped over something when I was in the hallway so I was stumbling but I didn't fall so yeah."

The people in the room listened to the explanation and accepted it at face value. It sounded like Naruto, honestly. Jiraiya motioned to two chairs, one in the front, next to Hyuga Hiashi, the other among the clan heads, where Hiashi once sat. "Naruto, sit there next to Hyuga-sama, and Sasuke, take the other seat."

Sasuke grunted and Naruto nodded to the request, taking the respective seats. Then, Jiraiya cleared his throat while standing up.

"Boys, I am going get right to the point. This meeting is the meeting to decide who will be the next Hokage for this village."

Naruto grinned. "And I'm guessing you guys realized I was the right guy for the job and you are picking me, right?"

Sasuke openly laughed. "In your dreams, dobe. I don't think they are going to let a genin become Hokage, especially one as big a dobe as you."

Naruto growled. "Shut up, teme. They so could be naming me Hokage. Believe it!"

Sasuke shook his head. "If they name you Hokage, I won't go after my brother anymore."

Danzo began to laugh. He couldn't help himself; the irony of the situation was too great. Sasuke tried to glare at Danzo, but it bounced right off of him. Frustrated, he turned to his sensei. "What is he laughing at?"

Kakashi sighed. "Well, Sasuke, believe it or not, Naruto is really here since he might be named the next Hokage."

It was rare that Sasuke was at a literal loss for words. Sure, he didn't always speak, but that didn't mean he didn't have something to say. But in this situation, in these circumstances, he was speechless.

And if it was rare for Sasuke, it was a first for Naruto. He literally froze in his seat as that information sunk in. He did think he would become Hokage someday, he truly did, but even he had been joking around some when he said they were naming him Hokage. He knew he wasn't strong enough to defend the village yet. The big word being yet. But, somehow, his sensei just told him that he really might be named the next Hokage. Still, it didn't last forever as he recovered from the shock enough to ask the council, "Seriously?"

Homaru and Koharu, people Naruto recognized as people that helped out the Old Man, began to nod their heads. "Yes, young Naruto. Danzo over here," Homaru motioned her hands to the bandaged war hawk, "nominated you for Hokage and you have been accepted as a legitimate candidate for the position of Godaime Hokage."

Sasuke finally recovered, and was livid. "How the hell does this dobe even remotely qualify for Hokage?"

Danzo took to the defense of his decision once again. "While Naruto is a most… unconventional candidate, he has multiple things that go for him. He is considered the Savior of the Land of Waves, a hero in Takigakure, and has received great acclaim in pacifying Gaara with the leaders in Sunagakure. He is extremely powerful, as shown in defeating the highly acclaimed Hyuga Neji AND of Subaku Gaara. He has massive potential being unused, which we can focus in as he is Hokage. He is highly loyal and protective of the village, always top traits needed in a Hokage. He is willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the village, a task repeatedly asked for by those who claim the mantle of Hokage. Finally, he has the will to become Hokage, a will very few in this village show."

Sasuke listened to his explanation, he honestly did, but he did not see it. "I don't get it, why him though? Why not someone better, someone older, why not me? I am powerful, I am a hero, I have potential, and I seek the power."

Nara Shikaku explained quickly. "You say you seek power, but that is not what a Hokage does. Hokage seek responsibility, and a desire to protect this village. You are also unfit for Hokage due to your… desire to hunt down and kill your brother Itachi. A person with such a life goal cannot be expected to be a Hokage who will protect his village. And Naruto has other… things going for him."

"Like what?" Sasuke, despite seeking power, knew he was not good for the role of Hokage. He was not a Hokage, he was an avenger. But he was very curious what made his blonde teammate such a good candidate for Hokage.

Jiraiya apologetically looked towards Naruto, transfixed by this conversation on why he could be Hokage. "Naruto, I have to explain something's to Sasuke. Some of these things… I know you'd wish he didn't know. And some of these things will shock you, and I am sorry for that. I wish I could have told you, but the law prevented me from doing so. Understand?"

Naruto simply nodded, knowing he meant to reveal his status as container of the Kyuubi. He had gotten close to Sasuke, and nearly considered him a brother, and he thought the bond was mutual. Sasuke was one of the few people he thought he could tell and not be instantly hated, and he hoped that was right. He was highly curious about this other law, though. He wondered what it could possibly be. He saw Jiraiya about to explain, but he decided to step in.

"Ero-sennin, stop!" He exclaimed, ignoring the few people that blushed at his name for the man. "Let me tell him the thing I know. He deserves that much."

Jiraiya had a gleam in his eye as he saw the boy take the initiative. He nodded, and waited to see how Naruto would explain. Sasuke sat there, showing his anticipation, trying to figure out what could be such a big deal. Naruto set his gaze to the floor below him.

"Do you know how I beat Gaara, Sasuke?" Sasuke shook his head slowly, he had been shocked when it happened, and wondering that very same thing for a while. "The truth is, Sasuke, I didn't beat him. Not really. Sure, it was me beating him up. But the power that caused it…wasn't mine." Naruto let the words hang for a moment before continuing. "It is impossible to kill a bjuu. They are too strong, and need to be sealed away in something. So when the Kyuubi attacked Konoha 13 years ago, when the Fourth Hokage defeated it, he couldn't kill it. So he sealed it. Inside me. It is the reason the villagers don't like me, and why most of the older people in the village ignore me. When they see me, they see the demon." He lifted up his teary blue eyes. "But I'm not! I'm not the demon! I just have it stuck in my gut. And you guys, you guys don't know 'cause Jiji made a law forbidding people to talk about it or tell their kids, so I could try to grow up normal." He let out a little laugh. "That worked well, huh?"

Sasuke just stared at the person he considered a friend, one of the many things he would probably keep to his grave, in shock. His friend, crying. His friend, holding a demon inside of him. He slowly turned to the villagers, and his fellow shinobi, but shook his head. They weren't worth the air, to tell them how big idiots they were. The dobe may have some extra bite, but he was still just the dobe. His friend.

Sasuke just gave a sly smile as Naruto watched, and shrug his shoulders. "What do you expect me to do? Attack you or something? You're still the dobe, even if you had Kami sealed inside of you. It just means you got some demon stuck inside of you that can't do anything. No harm, right?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, it can do stuff. When I get mad or something, the power comes to me. Like the time I kicked Haku's butt on the bridge. I thought he killed you… my rival…my friend…and I got mad. If his mask didn't slip off, I would have killed him to avenge you. And ever since Ero-sennin threw me off a cliff so I could get the Kyuubi to give me its chakra, I can do that too. I had to use a lot of its chakra to beat Gaara, though. But it makes sense, since he was using his demon too."

Sasuke almost cried. He wouldn't, of course, but being called a friend by him meant something to him. And the fact that his 'death' had got him mad enough to use the Kyuubi's chakra was kind of cool, he admitted to himself."Hn, I could still kick your ass."

Naruto's eyes began to go aflame. "Bring it on, teme!"

They were broken up by Jiraiya, which led them to realize their deep heartfelt conversation was seen by a couple dozen people. Naruto blushed, and looked away from everybody; while Sasuke popped his collar just a little bit higher to shield himself. The conversation had quite a reaction on the crowd. It struck a personal chord, with Naruto's mention of a harsh life, and Sasuke's casual acceptance. Even the Hyuga clan head smiled a little at their strength of their bonds. Eventually, Kakashi spoke up "Jiraiya, if you don't mind, I would like to tell my students the next bit. I will leave the big news to you, but I want to get a say."

The council and Jiraiya all thought about this, and so no problem with it.

"Well, Sasuke, Naruto, I want to tell you about the history of the container of the Kyuubi in Konoha."

Naruto was surprised to say the least. "Wait, you mean I'm not the first." He felt a little down about that. If he was gonna hold this curse, he might as well been the first one too.

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, in fact, they all came from the same clan as you do. The Uzumaki clan."

"Wait, I'm a part of a clan?"

"There's no Uzumaki clan in Konoha."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, Naruto, you are, and you are correct, Sasuke, there isn't. The Uzumaki clan was a part of Uzushiogakure, before it was destroyed by Iwagakure during the Second Shinobi World War. The survivors migrated to Konoha since the Uzumaki clan had ties to Konoha. The Shodai was married to the an Uzumaki, Uzumaki Mito. She was the first container of the demon."

Naruto's eyes went wide. "You mean the container was the Hokage's wife!"

Kakashi simply nodded. "Yes, and when the time came, before her death, she had to pass it on to another Uzumaki. Your mother."

"My mom was a container too!" Kakashi simply nodded. "Then why the heck was I treated so bad?"

The guilty parties stayed silent, so Jiraiya answered for them. "In the case of Uzumaki Mito, people understood it was a burden for the good of the village. In the case of your mother, people were mostly ignorant to the fact. For you, they cast the pain they felt from the Kyuubi's attack on the village onto you."

One of the councilmembers stood up slowly. "I… apologize. My actions towards you were wrong, and stupid. I hope you can forgive me."

A councilwomen nodded. "Yeah, I would like to apologize for my actions. I treated you poorly, when I shouldn't have. I…shouldn't have projected my hate for the Kyuubi onto you. I apologize."

Soon, all but the one councilwomen who was keeping a grudge apologized, followed by a few of the jounin who had a guilty conscience, along with a couple of the minor clan heads who were guilty. When Naruto thought he had received all of the apologies, one came from a person he didn't expect.

"On behalf of the entire Hyuga family, I apologize for the negative treatment we have given you. I am at most fault with this, as I should have known better especially."

Naruto was a little confused. "How come, Hyuga-san?"

Hiashi was a little annoyed at the lack of proper honorific, but it wasn't that important. "Well, I knew your mother and about how she was the container, since we were on the same genin team."

Naruto eyes went wide. "Really? You were on a team with my mom?"

Hiashi nodded. "Yes, and might I say you act just like she did, down to the verbal tic. Though she said believe me, instead of Believe it. We were not particularly close, as I found her somewhat irritating, we got along well enough. I should have realized you were her child, but certain things were withheld from us that made me ignorant of this fact."

Sasuke nodded in sympathy to Hiashi's plight of an annoying teammate. Naruto was more curious about his mother. "Really? Like me? What did she look like?"

Hiashi gave a gentle smile despite himself. He was giving a kid memories about his mother, something he previously had done for his youngest daughter Hanabi when she asked about her mother two years ago.

"Well, even I will admit she was a beautiful women, with long red hair and striking purple eyes. Your personality is just like your mother, your looks are not."

Naruto sort of laughed. "So you are saying that I look like my dad?"

Hiashi gave a slight nod. "Correct."

"So who was he?" Naruto asked, not realizing the tension in the room. Even Sasuke was curious.

Hiashi turned to Jiraiya. "I believe this is for you to answer."

Naruto quickly turned to his second sensei. "So who was he? Was he an awesome hero or what?"

Normally, Sasuke would make a joke here, but he had a feeling he was actually a hero, if it was kept secret. Or a criminal. But for some reason, the way a lot of people were sucking up to Naruto, he was sure it was hero. And he doubted a son of a criminal that had to be kept secret would be voted Hokage. Which he still thought was bullshit, but it was happening apparently. The dobe? Seriously?

Jiraiya sighed. "Your father, Naruto, was my prized student, Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage."

Sasuke's jaw dropped. The dobe was the son of a Hokage! What the fuck? The son of a Hokage? No wonder they think he could be Hokage, if he was anything like his father. But he wasn't, he quickly remembered how the Hyuga head had explained it. He was like his mother. But he doubted he was entirely like his mother. So maybe…

Naruto, on the other hand, was shocked. His idol, the man he strived to be better than, was his father. He was the son of a Hokage. His father was a hero. His father was a great man. His father sealed the Kyuubi inside of him. That thought triggered something in Naruto, as he began to get angry. His father made him live a crappy life. His father made him have to deal with the Kyuubi on a daily basis. Have to worry about a demon escaping from you and killing everyone you love. Naruto's anger grew to the point that he began to draw from the Kyuubi's chakra. People began to notice the red chakra emanating from his body and slowly began to back off. The councilmembers were beginning to rethink their new founded opinions on the boy. Jiraiya had been afraid of this reaction, and was unsure of what to do next. Sasuke was confused, until he remembered a few things Naruto had said. He realized Naruto was pissed that his own father sealed the Kyuubi inside of him. Sasuke could understand that anger, that betrayal. He also grew uneasy thinking about his own anger towards his brother, and translating it to the chakra he was seeing.

"You are saying my father put a demon inside of me!" Naruto screamed in a voice not fully his own. "How could he do that? To his own son!"

Jiraiya knew what to do next, so he moved towards the boy. "Naruto, calm down. He had no choice on the matter. You were the only one who could handle the sealing!"

"He should have tried harder! I was his own son damn it!" A chakra tail began to slowly form behind him, getting everyone on guard, with a few councilmembers about to bolt out of the room.

"He couldn't do that. Minato was too nice, and too good of a man to force on another the burden. He couldn't ask another man to do something that he himself wouldn't do." Jiraiya tried to explain.

"It doesn't matter! He was my father, damn it! He should have been there!" The root of the problem began to come out. Besides simple anger at being chosen, he was feeling abandoned.

Kakashi took a step forward. "Calm down, Naruto!"

Naruto released a load of killer intent directly at his sensei, who didn't budge. "Fuck you sensei! Where were you! You were his student! Why weren't you there for me?" He turned his attention to his newest sensei. "And you! He was your student! Where the fuck were you? Writing those fucking pervy books?"

Both were taken aback at the accusation, and both felt guilty. They both had excuses, Kakashi didn't realize it until they began training, and Jiraiya had to deal with his spy network, but they should have tried harder, they both knew. Naruto's anger began to form a second tail, and people were unsure of what to do. Except for Sasuke.

Sasuke, as confidentially as he could make himself look, began to walk up to Naruto. Everyone in the room was surprised by this, and began to hope that the Uchiha heir wasn't on a death wish or something. Naruto began to eye his friend suspiciously as he walked up to him, fighting through the killer intent he was leaking. Eventually, he found himself standing before Naruto. And everyone in the room was shocked as Sasuke slowly balled up his right hand into a fist, and punched the two-tails Naruto in the face as hard as he could.

"Calm down, dobe. Now isn't the time to get pissed off. Save it for later."

Naruto slowly got up from the punch, chakra still flowing, and walked back up to Sasuke. The punch didn't show due to his rapid regeneration, but there was a drop of blood coming from the corner of Naruto's mouth. And, just as calmly, Naruto balled his Kyuubi chakra covered hand into a ball and decked Sasuke, sending him flying into the arms of one of the jounin's. Everyone in the room was slowly backing to the edge of the room, expecting a fight. The jounin Sasuke landed on pushed him off, forcing him to stand up. Sasuke had an obvious bruise around his eye, and even a slight scorch mark from the chakra. He walked back up to Naruto and just glared at him, inches away from his face. Naruto returned the glare, and slowly the chakra began to fade, down to one tail, down to just the coat. And slowly, very slowly, it faded away, until all that was left were the red slit eyes. Then, they too went. Naruto suddenly grabbed onto Sasuke for support, with Sasuke actually helping him to do so. Sasuke maneuvered Naruto back to his seat, and unceremoniously dropped him into the chair. Naruto looked up with his blue eyes and flashed a grin.

"You went farther." Everyone in the room wanted to sweat drop at this surprisingly display, even Kakashi. Danzo was even surprised at how things went for his Hokage candidate, and couldn't help but compare it to him and Hiruzen.

Sasuke gave him a smirk. "Yeah, but I can still kick your ass."

"I would like to see you try."

Jiraiya decided to break up this sizing up. "Okay you two, break it up. If you guys wanna fight it out, wait until after this meeting."

Sasuke gave a 'hn' and walked back to his chair, while Naruto glared at his perverted sensei. Jiraiya felt the glare and sighed. "Look, Naruto, I'm sorry." He turned to look him in the face. He saw the hurt, and didn't like it. He was his godson. "I…I screwed up. I'll admit it. Your dad… he made me your godfather. And I was supposed to watch you. But I didn't. I'm sorry. But to be fair, I had to help the village with my spy network. If it hadn't been for that, I would have been there for you." Jiraiya patted his back as the hurt turned into a genuine smile.

"It's okay. I understand, Ero-godfather." Jiraiya decide to let that one slide, since he was forgiving him.

Kakashi came up to the plate next. "I would have raised you if I thought I could. But I don't think I'm exactly good "father" material. And… I didn't know you were his son."

Naruto was confused. "How come, you were his student?"

Koharu sighed. "Naruto, at your birth, someone kidnapped you," Naruto's eyes bulged, "since you were the Yondaime's son. Initial reports said you had died… and after you parents both passed away, we thought it was best to keep saying that. Understand your father and mother had enemies, and it was in your best interest that it be kept a secret. We were going to tell you on your 18th birthday, or the day you made jounin, so you could be strong enough. I hope you forgive us." She motioned to Homura and Danzo.

Naruto thought about it for a moment, and sighed. "I guess I understand. Doesn't mean I have to like it." He nearly began to pout, when he looked at everybody in the room, especially the civilians, who were still on edge. He nervously scratched the back of his head. "Umm, I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean for that to happen, but, I just got a little mad."

"A little?"

"Shut up, teme! Anyway, yeah, I'm sorry. I hope it doesn't stop you from voting me Hokage!" He gave everyone a big grin.

Danzo liked his ability to rebound from situations, it would provide useful for him. He turned his attention to the Uchiha with the deciding vote. It was actually a blessing that the Uchiha had come along, since the 22-15 technically did not give 60% needed to vote one as Hokage. So that no one could call it out later, he needed the Uchiha to vote for him. He hadn't realized it until Hatake sent the clone, but he was thankful Koharu had gone by the book. Now the question was, would his Uchiha teammate vote for him?

Homura began to talk. "How they vote does not matter, as they have already voted. We bring Uchiha here to be the decision maker on the subject." She turned to the Uchiha. "Currently, we have two candidates for the position of Godaime Hokage. Your teammate Uzumaki Naruto and the leader of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Hiashi. The vote is currently 22-15, and your vote shall decide if we have a new Hokage or we go to Plan B for the spot."

Sasuke soon had his elbows on the desk, his hands together, like he usually did when he was sitting. He looked into his joined hands, and then to the elder. "What is Plan B?"

"In the case of two candidates, it is a spar, no holds barred." Naruto audibly gulped. Even he wasn't dumb enough to think he could take the Hyuga clan leader, unless he used the Kyuubi big time. And he didn't want to risk losing control, like how he almost did. Hiashi's mind was racing with all the possibilities of how to best continue, no matter how the vote went.

Sasuke began to go into thought. "Who has 22 and who has 15 votes for them?"

Homura went to speak, but the contender stepped in. "No, it could unduly influence him to vote one way or another to purposefully vote one way or another. If it is to be honest, then he must not know."

Sasuke gave a glance at the man. "Why are you afraid? Think that if you are so close to victory, your clan rival will spite the title away from you? Or is it you are so close to losing, your only hope is that I vote against my teammate?" The Hyuga said nothing.

'The experienced blood enemy who can't even keep his branch family in check, or the dobe son of a hero with lots of potential but could theoretically kill us all. Who should I choose?' Sasuke thought to himself. Naruto was his friend, wanted the position, and had heritage to back him up. However, the Hyuga was more experienced, less of a dobe, and probably knew what he would be doing. The answer came down to the simple question, who did he trust more? His mortal enemy, or a demon container?

"I select Naruto."

Naruto almost stopped breathing in shock. Sasuke picked him! To be Hokage?

Homura spoke. "It has been decided. By a vote of 23-15, Uzumaki Naruto has been selected to become the Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure!"


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto was estatic. He did it. He was Hokage! He wanted to hoop and holler. He wanted to scream it to the heavens. He wanted to dance forever. He wanted to personally tell every villager that the 'demon' was the Hokage. But it took every ounce of self-constraint to stop him from doing so. Every goddamn milligram. Naruto knew from the Old Man that the Hokage couldn't act like that. So he just sat there, shaking slightly in excitement, wearing a huge grin on his face.

Jiraiya looked suspiciously at Danzo, wondering his reaction. He was real happy for the kid, he got his dreams, but he didn't trust it one bit. He was sure everyone, even some of the civilians, saw this as a ploy for Danzo and the elders to have much more control then they did under the Sandaime, but his logic had been sound enough to convince people in voting for him. Heck, even he had against his best judgement, but it sure as hell was better than the Hyuga. He only wished he could be on the council to help stop this, but he knew he couldn't stay in Konoha forever. He had to upkeep his network, and that went through out the lands. He would have to travel. If only he could get someone he trusted on the council, to help keep Danzo and the other elders from calling all the shots. Naruto did have the right to appoint new elder councilors, he was allowed five. The Sandaime just only used three.

Right then, Jiraiya was stuck with inspiration. It was a long shot, but it was a perfect solution for Jiraiya. If he could only go and convince her, it would be for the best! But then he stopped to think about it. He couldn't leave Naruto at the moment! He had just become Hokage. He was susceptible to major influence by Danzo, and could ruin everything. If Danzo got his hands on Naruto, he might become little better than a figurehead ROOT member. How could he protect Naruto now and long term? Jiraiya began pondering how to best solve this conundrum.

Danzo smirked confidently. The Uchiha had come through for him after all, and had gotten his shinobi into office. He was very, very glad that his plan had worked. It had been a total crapshoot, a spur of the moment inspiration, but Danzo was the son of a Nara mother. He could think very quickly, and come up with plans instantly, all to his benefit. Now, he had to get control of the boy's training to make him worthy.

Sasuke couldn't help but be shocked by himself. He had voted Naruto, Naruto of all people as Hokage. Sure, his other option was Hyuga Hiashi, the clan head of the family he was taught to think of as the enemy since he began to walk, but it was still a hard thing to comprehend. He began to think of the things he might do, like make Ramen the official food of Konoha. That would be bad enough, but how would he deal with policy? Protecting the village? He gave a glance to the man that had nominated Naruto and stopped. He was a little curious why he got the same feeling from that man as he did Orochimaru. That power, that presence. He had an inate feeling that this man could give him the power he needed to beat Itachi. He gave a little smile. With Danzo and Kakashi instructing him, his brother was as good as dead.

Hiashi was very frustrated. He had hoped he would have gotten the vote to the sparring round, but it had failed. He knew he could defeat Naruto and overcome the Kyuubi's chakra, he did with his mother. Now, Danzo's puppet was wearing the hat. He needed to figure out a way to steer some of the power away from Danzo, and into his hands. He considered his resources, and what he could use in this task. A memory struck him concerning his father-in-law, and he knew he had the answer of how to wrangle his way into power. If he could get the cooperation of his supporters, he would have his power over the boy and away from Danzo.

Naruto broke the silence. "So, what else do we have to talk about?"

Many people were stunned by the question. They had not been expecting him to say that. A minor clan head spoke out. "What do you mean?"

Naruto looked at him. "Well, this is the grand council, right? You guys ran the show when we had no Hokage. So, I bet you guys have to talk about stuff. And since I'm Hokage, I get some say in this stuff."

His analysis had not been expected, so it took a moment for someone to answer their new Hokage. "Well, Hokage-sama, this will only a council to appoint the newest Hokage. Nothing else was on the agenda." Homura explained.

"Oh." Naruto said. "So there is nothing for me to do?"

The council was surprised at his eagerness to get started. They thought he would be too busy celebrating to begin working. Koharu shook his head. "Well, we the council must talk to you about a few things first, but beyond that, there is nothing that I know of that can be done today."

Naruto began to nod furiously. "Okay! So let's talk."

A few eyebrows rose, until Danzo clarified. "When Koharu-san says council, he means the Hokage's council. This meaning me, Koharu-san, and Homura-san."

Naruto looked at Danzo. "Don't I get to pick my own council? I don't really know you guys, so shouldn't I pick people I know to be on my council?"

Danzo's eyes rose out of fear. Homaru and Koharu, on the other hand ,were much calmer. "If you wish that, Hokage-sama, then yes, you can select a new council. However, we have worked under the Sandaime for many years, and could prove of outmost importance." Homaru explained.

Koharu continued. "Technically, you may elect two more people you see fit to be on this council to help you. It may in fact be in your best interest to do so, so you may have seasoned councilors when the three of us may retire."

Danzo mentally blanched. Though they were right, it was not for the best of his plan. He should have taken this under consideration, but he had been thinking to long-term to calculate this into account.

Jiraiya smiled, sensing an opportunity. "Well, council, I see a perfect opportunity here. I have been thinking about a few things that have been said, and I see a way to alleviate many of our problems. I believe, Naruto, that you should seek for your council Senju Tsunade, one of the three legendary Sannin and my former teammate."

Many eyes rose. "Did you not say you did not expect her to come back?" Someone said.

Jiraiya nodded. "True, but I meant specifically as Hokage. As a councilor, we have a better chance of getting her back here."

Danzo looked at Jiraiya. "And you wish to go and spends weeks, if not months, in finding her?" His phrasing only confirmed Jiraiya's fears.

Jiraiya shook his head. "No, I wish to take the Hokage and for us to go and find her."

That surprised many of the current councilmembers. Danzo spoke out again. "That is highly irresponsible, Jirayia. Letting the new Hokage travel out, not yet strong enough to defend himself fully from the threats of this world."

Jiraiya countered. "I do not wish to send the Hokage out haphazardly, but with a purpose. As his sensei, I will be able to fully train him during our search, making him much stronger then he currently is. And yes, I will use the techniques you suggested earlier, Danzo-san. It will enable him to get the real world experience you fear he is lacking, Hyuga-san, while giving us an important tool to convince Tsunade-hime to return. She cannot reject the direct orders of the Hokage, now can she?" Jiraiya had laid out his reasoning, he only hoped it was enough.

Koharu thought about it. "You are correct in your thoughts, Jirayia-san, you are forgetting a few things. Once the shinobi world finds out the Hokage is a 13 year old ex-genin, not even a Sannin will be able to stop the people who will come after him. And, whomever the young Godaime selects to be on his council is his choice, not his sensei's."

Jiraiya turned to Naruto. "Would you mind if we didn't tell anyone about your selection as Hokage until after this mission?" Naruto began to struggle mentally with the concept of people not knowing he was Hokage, but eventually gave in.

"Sure Ero-sannin, but why should I get her for my council? Why can't I pick from the people I know?"

Jiraiya sighed. "Look, Naruto, I am suggesting her for two reasons. One, the people you know, well, they aren't really that experienced enough to put onto the council. You don't simply want your friends, but people with different ideas and attitudes." He motioned to Danzo. "Like Danzo and the Sandaime. They had different philosophies of how to do things, but the Sandaime kept him on the council because of that very reason. Tsunade, with her vast experience and knowledge of the lands due to her travels, does this perfectly. And secondly, I will not always be here to watch and train you, since my spy networks are vital for the safety of this village. So, I want to have someone I know I can trust here to help watch over you."

Naruto absorbed it in, and it made sense. "Okay, ero-sannin. Let's go find Tsunade to help me be the greatest Hokage ever!"

Jiraiya gave a smile at his enthusiasm. "Good to hear, Naruto. This means, for the next month or two, you have to keep silent about being Hokage, until you get back." Jiraiya turned to the council. "That means for all of you. Not a word must leak out about Naruto here being selected Hokage. He needs to train in both his shinobi and political skills before this is known for his and Konoha's safety." He turned to the elders. "That also means, for Konoha's safety, you should refrain from telling him the Hokage-only secrets."

Danzo and the others understood what was meant. In case something should happen to Naruto, the secrets of Konoha could be kept from the grasps of enemies.

A councilmember asked, "Who will lead Konoha when our Hokage is on this mission. I do not think we can continue meeting, as it may arise suspicion on why we have not voted in a new Hokage?"

Surprising everyone, Naruto came up with a plan. "You guys can say the Hokage is getting special training before he is announced, and you guys, "He motioned to the three elders, "Can run stuff. And I guess Shikamaru too, since I probably want him on my council. He is really smart and stuff, and would probably like not having to go out and do missions! And he knows what I would want, so that works, right?"

Shikaku was surprised that his son was being put on the council by the Hokage, but he guessed it made sense. It would also help counter some of Danzo's possible policies. Hiashi was grateful that there was a counter to Danzo, whoever inefficient that might be at the moment. And Danzo was annoyed that the council was being filled upon spots with people he did not really want to work with. However, as he knew well, the Hokage's word was absolute.

Soon, there was an agreement on the plan, as it made sense for Konoha. Suddenly, Kakashi got up and whispered something in Naruto's ear, much to Danzo's chagrin, and nodded. "And I want reports every week sent to me and ero-san- Jiraiya about what is happening. " Naruto stopped himself from calling his second sensei by his given nickname as he realized Hokage's didn't call people by nicknames like that. Which meant calling Sasuke a teme was out to. Being Hokage was really hard! And he didn't even get to the paperwork. Naruto nearly shivered thinking back to all the paperwork on Jiji's desk.

Danzo lifted an eyebrow. "Oh? How will we do that? You do not know the Konoha's code system yet."

Naruto shrugged, "Well, Jiraiya will have to tell me what it says, and he can teach me it." Unable to counter that logic, Danzo did not respond.

There were a few looks around , before a jounin spoke. " I think, just to be safe, we should have someone go with the Hokage-sama and Jiraiya-sama. You know, someone that we can trust to help them in case something happens. Someone strong."

Another jounin nodded. "Yeah, I think so too." Murmurs filed the room agreeing with the statement. Eventually eyes turned to the Hokage. He was surprised by the looks.

"What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Sasuke shook his head disappointed. "Because, Hokage-san," Sasuke dealt with facts. Fact was, Naruto was the Hokage. Another fact, though, was that Hokage or not, Sasuke could still almost definitely kick his ass, " you are the leader of the village. So it is up to you to decide if you get another escort for the mission."

Naruto nodded his head. "Oh yeah." He quickly went into a thinking pose, trying to figure out if someone should come with him. It made sense, you had to protect the Hokage, but he wasn't sure if Konoha could afford to let go of a shinobi who could actually protect him. He remembered enough from Iruka's classes to know the village got most of its money in high class missions, and the village needed money to rebuild. He turned to the council he inherited. "Um, is there any shinobi that can help us with that? I know we have to make money and stuff to rebuild, but is there anyone we can spare?"

Koharu and Homaru looked at each other and shook their heads. "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, but the village has no one that they can send on a long-term mission for no fee at this time." Koharu explained.

Naruto sighed, but then Danzo spoke up. "I may be of assistance. Though they are not shinobi per se, they are… bodyguards that I have trained in the shinobi way to help protect me and my family. I can afford to let one to help your cause."

Jiraiya knew exactly what Danzo was talking about. ROOT. His own personal ANBU that should have been disbanded years ago. "You know, Danzo, it is highly unethical to train people in the art of shinobi and NOT have them be a part of the village's active roster."

Danzo looked back at Jiraiya. "Perhaps, but I want to feel safe. My injuries have made me less able as a shinobi, so I required the best to teach me. And hiring private guards is cheaper than paying for a full-time mission."

Jiraiya glared at Danzo, wishing he could force him to slip up, but knew it was little use. The man was too god damn slippery. He turned to Naruto and hesitantly asked. "Would you want one of Danzo's," He gave a quick glare at the man once again, " personal bodyguards to escort us on this trip?"

Naruto turned to Danzo "Are they strong. Like really strong?"

Danzo simply nodded. "Of course. If I wanted to train someone to protect me, I would want them to be as strong as possible. Perhaps, I could train you sometime…"

Jiraiya quickly shook his head. "I do not think there is any need for that, Danzo. Between me and Kakashi-san, I believe we can handle Naruto's further training quite well.

Naruto was confused at how Jiraiya was handling the man. He was being very protective of Naruto, and not trusting the man with anything. Shouldn't he be nice to him? I mean, he was the main reason that Naruto just got voted to Hokage! Wasn't he a friend?

"Well then, Danzo-san, sure! I would love one of your personal guards to help protect me." Naruto enthusiastically told him, much to Danzo's pleasure.

"Very well. I will have them waiting for you when you leave."

"Great!"

Jiraiya growled, knowing he had to deal with some ROOT brat while he was looking for Tsunade, as if that wasn't hard enough. However, it was a good idea to have someone to help protect the kid if Akatuski decided to make a move, so Jiraiya wasn't going to fight it any further. He nodded in compliance. "That sounds wonderful. We will be leaving tomorrow at 9am from the North Gate. Will that be an issue."

Danzo shook his head. "Not at all. In fact, I am surprised it isn't earlier."

Naruto shook his head. "No, that sounds good! We can actually eat first before we go."

Jiraiya nodded. "Exactly my reasoning."

Naruto began to look around at the Grand Council and that they were doing nothing. He decided it was enough. "I guess, since we figured out everything, meeting dismissed!"

The people looked around, unsure if that was appropriate. Naruto luckily realized their confusion and turned to Danzo. "Unless there is some reason why they need to stay?"

Danzo again shook his head. "No, you are right Hokage-sama." He directed his attention to the crowd. "You heard Hokage-sama. Meeting dismissed." At that confirmation, most of the people left the room. Among the ones remaining were Nara Shikaku, Hyuga Hiashi, Sasuke, Jiraiya, Sarutobi Asuma, Kakashi, and the elders.

Naruto was surprised that so many people were still there. He understood the elders, and Jiraiya, and Kakashi, and even Sasuke, but not the other three. "What are you guys still doing here?" He motioned to the three anomalies.

Hiashi bowed slightly and spoke. "Hokage-sama, I know it was ruled that your selection be kept secret, but I wish permission to tell certain members of my family."

Naruto raised his eyebrow. "Like who?"

Hiashi calmly replied. "The Hyuga Council, and possibly the heiress."

Naruto had a sudden realization. "You mean Hinata? Why do you want to tell her?"

Hiashi paused for a moment, and continued. "I wish to tell my heiress, and the council for that matter, because I had told them I would seek the position you are in. I must tell them about my failings, and wish to enlighten them on who beat me."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, and turned to his inherited advisors. "Is that a good idea?"

Koharu turned to Homura, who simply shook her head. "No, it is not. There is no need for them to know who is Hokage before everyone else."

Naruto nodded at the advice. "Yeah, so, I have to say no Hyuga-san. Sorry."

A look of frustration graced the Hyuga face, but quickly passed. "I understand." He bowed again. "Good day, Hokage-sama." The Hyuga left the room quickly

It was Asuma's turn to speak to his father's successor. He didn't bow, but gave a nod of his head. "You know, Naruto-sama, of all the kids in Konoha, I think you were the best to name Hokage. But I need to ask you something."

"What is it?" Naruto asked him politely.

"Well, I was wondering how my team would work with Shikamaru on the council. I was wondering if you were planning to replace him, or another option?"

Naruto scratched his nose. "Huh, I didn't even think about his team." He gave Asuma his grin. "Sorry about that Asuma-san, but I have to get back to you on that one."

Shikaku interrupted. "If I may, I want to ask if I should go retrieve my son so he can be aware of these developments. I do not believe you are aware of this Hokage-sama, but someone can refuse to be on your council."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Yeah that makes sense. Could you fetch Shikamaru Nara-san?"

Shikaku nodded. "Right away, Hokage-sama." With that he left the room. Asuma decided to wait around and hear the verdict. Sasuke decided to talk to him now.

"So, Hokage-san, what will happen with our team. You can't exactly go on missions with us, because of your duties and all."

Naruto thought about it, and his face brightened. He turned to his advisor, Danzo. "Hey, Danzo-san, you said you have guards and stuff who are trained right?"

Danzo uneasily nodded. "Yes, I do."

"Is there any our age that can join in on my team to replace me? It would be really awesome if you did."

Danzo's eye widened. He had a perfect opportunity here to do a long-term goal, and there was no way he would let it pass. "In fact, I do. I will have him join your team tomorrow for practice."

"After he registers as a shinobi." Jiraiya darkly said.

Danzo simply nodded. "Yes, after."

Naruto just smiled. "That's great! I don't see anything else we have to do besides the Shikamaru thing, right?"

Koharu nodded. "That is correct, Hokage-sama."

Naruto was happy to hear that. His first day on the job, and he hadn't messed up yet! Sure, it had only been like 20 minutes, but still it was a lot to him.

"Great then!" Naruto happily exclaimed. "So you guys can go when I talk with Shikamaru."

The elders raised their eyebrows. "Should we not stay to help talk to him?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, cause, I want to talk to him in private while I tell him the stuff about me. I don't know, I really don't like talking about it in front of people."

Before the elders could say anything, Sasuke surprisingly stepped in. "There is no point arguing. Hokage-san is really annoying if he wants something."

Naruto frowned. "I'm not annoying." He heard coughs come from both Jiraiya and Kakashi. He glared at them for a moment, and exclaimed, "Baahh! With both of you. So please leave me alone so I can prepare myself."

The elders, especially Danzo were hesitant, but listened. Soon the room was almost cleared save for Jiraiya, who looked at his student, knowing what he was really doing. He was more dealing with all the information he had learned then preparing himself to tell Shikamaru. He sighed, almost feelings the boy's confusion, but let him be. Jiraiya would need some time alone if he found out all of what Naruto learned. With that he sighed, waved to boy, and closed the door shut, leaving Naruto alone in the room, to think to himself.

Mentally, Naruto was a mess. Between being ecstatic and shocked about being named Hokage, the surprise of finding out his mother was just like him, the joy his hero was his father, and the pure rage that his father had sealed the Kyuubi inside of him, Naruto had no control over his mind. He tried to prioritize.

First thing, Hokage. I'm it. I'm Hokage. Naruto promptly stood up, and did the most ridiculous dance he could think of. He was shaking his hips, doing fist pumps, extreme headbanging, shuffling, doing the disco, and at one point riverdanced his joy out. He even summoned a horde of clones to put on the shoulders and carry around, cheering for him. With the joy out of the way, he turned to the next thing he had to digest. His mother being a container.

He sighed for himself, finally feeling connected to his mother. Hyuga-san had told him they acted a lot alike, and she had red hair and purple eyes. She also knew the burden of holding the demon inside of her. He had a random thought that he liked. Nest time he was in the sewer that was the seal, he would ask the Kyuubi about his mom. It would probably know her best, right?

Before Naruto could even begin to contemplate anything to do with his father, he heard a knock on the door. "Who is it?"

"Neh, what a drag. It's me, Shikamaru with my dad. He said I had to talk to you."

Naruto nodded, before realizing Shikamaru couldn't see him. "Good, come in. Your dad too." Naruto added as a second thought. He would probably need someone to help convince Shikamaru he was actually Hokage.

Shikamaru opened the door slowly, and dragged himself in, his dad following. Shikamaru gave a glare at Naruto. "Why was I dragged here to see you? I was watching clouds in perfect peace until my dad dragged me here."

Naruto smirked. "You shouldn't speak to your Hokage like that, Shikamaru. It is not right."

Shikamaru gave a snicker. "You, Hokage. Unlikely as me marrying Ino-san."

Shikaku cackled, much to Shikamaru's confusion. "What's so funny dad?"

He managed to get a grip of himself. "When's the wedding? Your mother would like to know."

Shikamaru gave his dad a strange look, before realization hit him. He turned back to Naruto, back to his father, and back to Naruto. "You weren't joking were you?" Naruto shook his head. "You're the Hokage?" Naruto nodded. Shikamaru sighed, and made his way to a chair. "You know, dad, I think I know why you drink now."

Shikaku laughed at that, and turned to his leader. "Do you want me to hang around, or-"

Naruto cut him off. "No, it's okay Nara-san, you can go." With that, the Nara clan leader left, leaving Shikamaru and Naruto all alone.

"So, how the hell did you get voted Hokage?" Shikamaru bluntly asked.

Naruto shrugged. "I'm not really sure. This Danzo guy nominated me apparently and convinced enough people that I was the best person for the job."

Shikamaru simply nodded. "He must be a really good talker. I heard my dad talk about him before, and I thought he would want to be Hokage."

Naruto shrugged. "He is all bandaged up and stuff, so maybe he is too weak to do it?"

Shikamaru looked at him funny. "You realized you were just a genin this morning."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, well, I have a lot of potential. And Jiraiya is going to train me really really hard when we leave the village to find the last person for my council, some chick named Tsunade."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrow to that information. "Tsunade. You mean the Sannin, the great medical ninja?"

Naruto absently nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

Shikamaru sighed as thought about something. "So why am I here again?"

Naruto smiled. "Because I want you to be on my Hokage's council!"

Shikamaru was surprise by that one. "You want me on your council, " Naruto nodded enthusiastically, "How come?"

"Well, I know you are really really smart and will do anything for the village. You are good enough to be considered a chunin already, so I thought you would be perfect!"

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at the offer. "What about Team Ten? I can't abandon Choji with Ino! That would be cruel, and he is my best friend."

Naruto tapped his fingers on the armrest. "I don't know. I was hoping you could think of something."

Shikamaru sighed, and went into his thinking pose. Naruto wanted to interrupt, but realized what Shikamaru was doing from the Chunin Exam finals, and kept quiet.

Shikamaru broke from the pose. "I suggest letting my father substitute me on this council while I do some missions with them, while they complete others with either Sasuke or Sakura filling the four spot."

Naruto shook his head. "I already filled my old spot."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrow. "This quickly?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, that Danzo guys trains personal guards like shinobi, and he is letting one go to become a real shinobi and replace me."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrow at that knowledge, but didn't say anything on it. "Well, I am sure there are other genin that can fill the spot as needed."

Naruto agreed with that. There were hundreds of genin Konoha, they could surely find one to help them out. "Yeah. So will you do it?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Sure, I'll do it."

Naruto gave a big grin. "Great to hear. I know I can count on you." Then, surprising Shikamaru, his face turned serious. "Now, I think, I have to tell you a few things about me you need to know if you are going to be my councilor." He had gained Shikamaru's full attention, a rarity in his life. "Firstly, I am the container of the Kyuubi."

He gave Shikamaru a moment to absorb that fact. He just nodded. "Makes sense. Go on."

Naruto was floored by Shikamaru's response. He had sort of expected him to reject him, but then Naruto realized this was Shikamaru. He was smart enough to realize what it meant, and it would probably be too troublesome for him to shun Naruto, so it didn't really matter.

"Secondly, I'm the third container of the Kyuubi. The first was the wife of the First Hokage, and the second was the wife of the Fourth Hokage."

Shikamaru was more surprised by that fact, but suddenly had a grin. "Doesn't that mean you were suppose to be the wife of the Seventh Hokage?"

Naruto's eyes bulged, "That's not funny, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru simply shrugged. "Was to me."

Naruto shook his head, showing his annoyance, then took a big breath. "Finally, I'm the son of the Fourth Hokage."

Shikamaru gave a real smile. "Figured that one out last week. Thanks for confirming it."

Naruto's eyes bulged twice as far as last time. "How the hell did you figure that out?"

Shikamaru just shrugged. "You look exactly like him. I'm surprised more people didn't figure it out."

"I was kidnapped at birth and reported dead. It was safer for the Yondaime's son to stay that way."

Shikamaru nodded sympathetically, while Naruto continued. "And you have to keep this silent until I get back with this Tsunade lady, when they name me Hokage in front of everyone."

Shikamaru nodded. "Understood. Anything else?"

Naruto looked around nervously, and took a big gulp. "I also want your help planning something."

"Planning what?"

Naruto's eyes turned purple at the ferocity of the statement, making Shikamaru flinch. He knew immediately why Naruto would want such a thing. He had to let the words sink in.

"War on Otogakure."


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, so here is chapter four. It was not exactly how I planned it, and it did turn out shorter than I wanted, but I like it. I give us a little bit of the main couple, study into two of the more interesting characters of the series, reveal a bit of my goals for Naruto in this fic, and introduce the Itachi story line. Hurray!

Okay, before I get backlash, it is my take on clone training. You can say what you want about it, but it is how I am interpreting it, so it wil stay that way

And I confused the gender of Koharu and Homura throughout the story. My big mistake. It will be fixed shortly. along with Kushina's green eyes mistake. I hope that doesn't detract you from enjoying this story! So leave a review. 70+ story alerts, 11 reviews? Shameful.

No, I do not own Naruto. Cool if I did, right?...Right?

7/6/12 note. I made a change to the number of shadow clones Naruto would use, since even I realized it was too low, as noted in a review

* * *

It was 8:55am at the North Gate, and a lone person stood there, the secret Godaime Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto. He was only mildly surprised that he was alone. He had expected Jiraiya to be late for this, probably a hangover from his activities from last night, but he expected that guy trained by Danzo to be here already. He leaned against the station house guarded by everyone's two favorite guards, Izumo and Kotesu.

"So, brat, mind explaining what you are doing right now?" Kotesu asked him sternly.

Naruto sighed. "Cause I'm heading out with Jiraiya-sensei and some other guy that was trained by Danzo. We are on a mission to find sensei's old team mate, Tsunade."

Their eyes bulged. "The legendary Tsunade? How come?" Kotesu asked.

Izumo gave a little though and grinned. "Is she going to be the new Hokage?"

Naruto snickered. "As if. We are getting her for the Ho-" Naruto remembered the excuse Jiraiya had told him to use, " we are getting her to make up for all of the medic nins we lost during the invasion. They nodded in understanding. All in all, over 25 high quality medic nins lost their lives, a huge blow in a village with an admittedly sub-par medic training system.

"How much longer do you think you will be here?" Izumo asked him.

Naruto shrugged. "No clue. It's almost 9, and there is no sight of that guy Danzo sent or of Jiraiya-sensei."

Kotesu then made a notice. "Hey, didn't you have that awesome nickname for Jiraiya-sama? What was it… Ero-sannin? How come you aren't calling him that."

Naruto nervously laughed. "Well, cause Jiraiya told me that a Hokage has to be professional and stuff, and I need a head start on it, right?"

"So what, no more pranks, no more painting the Hokage monument, or anything like that?" Izumo questioned him.

Naruto had a frown. "I haven't down a prank in months! But yeah, pretty much."

Kotesu pouted. "Shame. As much of a pain in the ass it was to chase you, you were pretty damn funny kid."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks, Kotesu-san." A silence filled the air as Naruto looked up at the clock. "It's 9 o'clock, where are they?"

"Shin here, Hokage-sama, reporting for the mission." The voice surprised Naruto and made him jump. It also startled Kotesu and Izumo.

Naruto quickly whipped around. He saw a grey haired kid, a little older then him, with jet black eyes. He stood a few inches over Naruto. He was in the customary ANBU uniform Naruto had seen on a few of it's members, and he saw a fuma shuriken and some type of sword on his back. "Who the heck are you?"

"Shin. I was sent here by Danzo-sama, H-" Suddenly, Shin stopped, and had to think for a moment. "Honored-san." He tried to cover his earlier mistake and recognizing him as Hokage pre-emptively.

Izumo and Kotesu failed to notice the earlier statement, and was confused by the second. "Why did you call Naruto Honored-san?"

Shin gave a forced grin. "Lord Danzo holds him in high regards, thus the name. What do you think I should call him?"

Naruto cut in quickly. "Naruto-san is alright. Just Naruto would be better."

"I will call you Naruto-san then. Where is your sensei, Jiraiya-san?"

Naruto sighed. "No clue. Probably drunk somewhere, surrounded by girls."

Shin nodded. "I will retrieve your teacher from the red light district." With that, he jumped away.

Naruto was surprised. "Konoha has a red light district?"

Kotesu lecherously grinned. "Yeah, and it's really good. For 3000 ryo, you can have this one girl who-" Izumo bopped him on the head.

"Idiot, he is barely 13. He doesn't need to know any of this."

Kotesu just smirked. "You know the saying, 'old enough to kill, old enough to fuck'. Right Naruto?"

Naruto had turned the other direction, muttering something akin to, "Damn perverts everywhere I go."

Izumo began to laugh while Kotesu shot an annoyed glare at Naruto's back. However, Naruto began to tune them out, as he was focused on the conversation he had with Shikamaru the night before.

_Flashback:_

"_War on Otokagure?" Shikamaru incredulously asked._

_Naruto gave a nod. "Yeah, cause they are a big threat. They invaded our village once, who is to say they won't again? We should destroy them before they get the chance to hurt us."_

_Shikamaru gave a calculating look. "Then why am I not planning war on Suna? They attacked us too, and have before in the past It would be just as logical, if not more logical, to do so."_

"_They were tricked! Their leader was killed!" Naruto was quick to defend them._

"_By Orochimaru." Shikamaru simply added._

_Naruto gave a depressed nod. "Yeah. Him."_

_Shikamaru sighed. "What a drag. I know why you want to do this Naruto, and it won't work. The Sandaime is dead, and will stay dead."_

"_I know that!" He yelled at Shikamaru, the pain in his voice evident. "I know that." His voice was calmer this time, but still full of pain._

"_Then why war?"_

_Naruto began to fidget, uncomfortably. "Well, Orochimaru made Otogakure, right? So if we destroy it, it will make him a lot weaker since he won't have a village under his control. And…"_

"_And what, Naruto?"_

"_I asked Jiraiya why Orochimaru got banished from Konoha. He used to do expirements on people, some really sicko whacko stuff that makes me want to hurl. And Jiraiya said, Jiraiya said he is probably doing even worse stuff in Oto."_

_Shikamaru nodded. "I heard about that too, from my dad."_

"_And all of the shinobi, they all support him! They are all loyal to him! They let them experiment on them. Like those guys that tried to kill Sasuke. They are a bunch of sick freaks!"_

_Shikamaru got into his thinker's pose. "It isn't just to avenge the old man, but save the Land of Sound from all of their shinobi."_

_Naruto nodded. "Yeah, to save them." Naruto quietly added on, "But I won't complain if we kill Orochimaru too."_

_Shikamaru could only nod his agreement with such an idea._

_End Flashback_

After that, he gave Shikamaru access to all the information he would need to plan such an invasion/war. He talked a little bit more to his councilors and Jiraiya about nothing he thought was that important, ordered about a dozen things of Ichikaru ramen to go, and settled in his house to relax and pack. He knew he had to keep becoming Hokage a secret, so he didn't throw the party he always dreamed of. But he also remembered the Old Man complaining he never got to relax, so Naruto decided to take advantage of the peace. Sasuke promised to keep Sakura away and explain why he was going, so Naruto was all free.

All of a sudden he heard a noise. "H-h-hi, Naruto-kun."

He turned to see a red faced Hinata. "Hey Hinata, what's up?"

What Hinata wanted to sat was, "Oh, I'm talking to the boy I want to be my boyfriend, so pretty good." Insteadm Hinata's red got a little deeper as she ignored her bold wishes and began to mumble, "Well, ah, y-you see, u-um, my-" She shook it off. "N-nothing N-naruto-kun."

Naruto's eyebrow rose. Even he knew something was up. "What is it, Hinata? You can tell me."

She pulled at the hem of her jacket as she nodded. She took in a deep breath. "Father is m-m-mad since th-they voted for a new Hokage and he l-lost. I d-didn't w-want to t-train w-with him if he w-was mad."

Naruto nodded, understanding. He wouldn't to spar with a mad Sasuke. Though he was annoyed that Hyuga-san did not take his lost well. Naruto was afraid that they might not like him as Hokage, which would be, in Shikamaru's words, troublesome.

"Well, hopefully he won't be mad for too long. So what are you going to do today?"

Hinata face kept up the redness. "Train." She turned her face slightly to the ground, as not to look him in the eyes "I-if y-y-you w-want N-n-Naruto-kun you can t-t-t-train with m-me." She stuttered out her request harshly. She knew Naruto loved to train, and hopefully he would accept. She knew she needed to be bolder to get the wonderful blonde, and this was a great start.

It was tough, but Naruto could understand it. He frowned. "Sorry Hinata, I would love to, but I have a mission. Shin is getting Jiraiya-sensei, and then we are leaving."

Hinata frowned. "W-who's Shin?"

"I am" Shin suddenly popped into a space near Hinata, making her jump slightly, with a large, grumpy Jiraiya over his shoulder.

"Okay, kid, you can put me down." Jiraiya grumbled.

Shin promptly let him down, leaving Jiraiya to huff and puff. He was fully prepared, as Shin had given himself enough time to grab his bag and toad summoning scroll, but still mad since he was pulled away quite forcefully from a lovely women he had met at a bar the previous night. He threw on his bag and scroll, and glared at Naruto. "Why the hell did you send him after me?"

Naruto shook his hands wildly. "Not me! He wanted to start the mission, I just told him what you were likely doing."

Shin nodded. "Yes, enjoying rest after fornicating with an ugly women wearing lots of make-up."

Naruto's eyebrows twitched wildly, Jiraiya nearly died laughing at the social awkwardness of the boy (and tamed the rage that came from deep inside of him at the insinuation he would ever be with anything less than a 7! 6 if their twins, and Hinata came very close to fainting out of sheer embarrassment at the thought. She began to sway, but was quickly caught by Naruto.

Hinata realized this, smiled, and fainted out of the simple joy of being in the arms of her crush. Naurto was surprised by this reaction, and began to try and shake her awake. "Hey, Hinata! Hinata! You ok? Hinata!"

Jiraiya was done brushing himself off and looked at the kid. "Come on gaki, leave your girlfriend alone and let's get going."

Naruto let out an odd sound showing his irritation. "Hinata isn't my girlfriend. She is just a friend." He looked up to Izumo. "Hey, Izumo-san, can you watch over Hinata until she wakes up. And tell her I said bye." Izumo nodded, so Naruto set her against the guard station and got up.

"Let's get going!" Naruto began to take huge steps as he left through the gate behind a grumbling Jiraiya and silent Shin.

After a bit of Naruto's awkward marching, Jiraiya became annoyed. "Naruto, stop that now! It is really annoying."

Naruto stopped entirely confused. "What?"

"Your marching, it looks ridiculous."

"Oh. Whatever then. So where to, Ero-sannin?"

As long as he was Hokage, Naruto would not call people by inappropriate name, like Ero-sannin and teme. But until then, he was going to have his fill.

"To a little town a day's walk from here. It is where we are sleeping for the night."

"Okay, then. Let's go!" Naruto began to run in the direction they were headed, but was suddenly cut off by an odd looking sword. He turned to see who had the sword, friend or foe, and saw it was Shin. "what the hell, Shin?"

"Sorry Hokage-sama, but I did not want you to step in the dog feces." To the point, a pile of dog crap was right in the way of Naruto, right where his foot would have stomped.

Naruto wiped his brow. "Whew, thanks Shin. You saved me." He stepped around the crap, and took a few steps but stopped. He turned to Shin, who hadn't moved. "Shin, what did I say about calling me Hokage-sama? It is Naruto, not Hokage, for know on."

Shin nodded. "Of course, Naruto-sama."

Naruto growled. "Naruto. Not Naruto-sama. If you really need the honorific, use –san. Okay?"

Shin again nodded. "Of course, Naruto-, "He paused, correcting himself, "-san."

Naruto gave a weak smile but decided to let Jiraiya catch up. He let Jiraiya take lead, while he followed and Shin covered the back. They quietly walked this way for a few minutes, before Naruto began to complain.

"Hey, Ero-sannin, you said you were going to teach me stuff. Can you start teaching me stuff? I need to become stronger as soon as possible so I can protect the village."

Jiraiya sighed. "Calm down, Naruto. I will start teaching you things soon enough. The village we are stopping at is an 7 hour walk, so we should be there a little after 4 pm. We will be able to begin your training then. And anyway, I need to figure out exactly what I will be teaching you. I want to make sure you actually learn stuff."

Naruto gave him a suspicious glance. "Really? Or are you just saying that, but you are gonna go watch girls or something?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "No, not this trip. As much as I would love to, the training on this trip is too important to let you do unstructured." A perverted grin was shot off by Jiraiya. "Of course, you have Shin to help you sometimes, so I might be able to go off a few times."

Naruto ignored the last part. "So what are you going to teach me huh? What? You gonna teach me some awesome jutsus?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Yes I will be teaching you a few good jutsus. Probably 4 or 5 of them, not counting the big one."

"The big one?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Yes, I will also be teaching you a very special jutsu, one that your father invented."

Naruto's eyes went wide. A jutsu the Fourth Hokage invented. It would be really awesome then.

"What is it? What is it?" Naruto impatiently pleaded.

Jiraiya gave him a big grin. "The Rasengan."

"Rasengan? What does it do?"

Jiraiya smirked. "Well, it would be better to show you." He motioned for them to follow him off the path and at a tree. Jiraiya took a deep breath out, and held out his right hand. Suddenly, a blue ball formed out of thin air, contained in his hand. It spiraled magnificently, and one could feel the power emanating from it. Then, he thrust the glowing ball at the tree, yelling out "Rasengan!" He pushed the ball into the tree, which quickly carved into it, throwing bark and wood out in random directions. And as soon as it started, it stopped, with Jiraiya letting the move dissipate. The tree now had a huge hole in it, and was incredibly less stable than it was before.

Naruto's eyes were really wide. "That move was totally awesome! It kicked so much ass!"

Even Shin was intrigued. "Jiraiya-sama, was that pure chakra? I could not detect any elements in the sphere."

Naruto's eyebrow rose. Pure Chakra?

Jiraiya nodded. "Yes, it is. In fact, Minato-san could never manage to infuse elemental chakra into the Rasengan. Which makes it an incomplete jutsu.

Naruto's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Incomplete? You mean it could be stronger?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Of course. Even you should realize that elemental chakra is much more powerful than pure chakra. Though this move is very powerful itself already."

Naruto was very anxious and wanted to learn that move now. He held out his hand, trying to summon the chakra. Bits and pieces of chakra began to manifest, before Jiraiya grabbed Naruto's wrist.

"Hold on, Naruto. You just can't go and do this technique. It takes a lot of practice. It took me 6 months to learn it, and it took Minato a few years to make it."

Naruto frowned. "I don't have years! Let alone 6 months! I need to learn it now!"

Jiraiya shook his head slowly. "Calm down, Naruto. You have some time to learn it. This isn't a week long mission. I suspect it will take us a month or two to find Tsunade, then we have to convince her, then we have to go back. It will be two or three months to find her."

Shin rose his eyebrow, not expecting the mission to take that long. Lord Danzo had said 4 to 6 weeks, but Jiraiya was doubling that estimation. He wanted to argue, but Lord Danzo had told him not to draw attention to himself from Jiraiya, so he held his tongue.

"But if it took you 6 months, how am I supposed to do this in 2 or 3? And what about all those other cool jutsus you are going to teach me? How are we gonna do all that?"

Jiraiya gave a deep chuckle. "That? Why, that is only the half of it. I still want for you to master the basics katas in taijutsu, introduce you to a new fighting form that I think you are gonna love, help you with all the problems that come from genjutsu, show you a thing or two about seals and teach you manners and political etiquette."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "How are we going to do that in 2 months? That sounds like it would take years!"

Jiraiya nodded. "I doubt years, but it would normally take a considerable amount more time than we have right now to teach you all the things I think you need to know before you even think about wearing that hat. However, Kami was kind to us when you choose Kage Bunshin as the jutsu you picked from that scroll."

"Hun? What do you mean, Kami was kind to us? I know Kage Bunshin is awesome and all, but how is it going to help us?" Naruto naively asked him.

Jiraiya grinned. "Because, as awesome as Kage Bunshin are, you have only been using them half as well as you could have been!" Naruto had a confused look on his face, but Jiraiya continued on. "I would explain it to you, but you are the type of kid who does better with the 'show me' method than the 'lecture me' method. So Naruto, summon a Kage Bunshin now!"

Surprised by the order, Naruto quickly popped one into existence. Jiraiya grabbed the clone by the arm and left to talk in the woods with it, but not before telling both Shin and Naruto to stay. Once he was out of sight, Naruto began to complain.

"What does that baka know? I use my Kage Bunshin awesomely already, what he can show me about it that will make it any better."

Shin knew enough about the jutsu to know what Jiraiya was showing Naruto. "Pay attention. You are about to find out."

Naruto looked to Shin in confusion, and was about to say something when he was stopped by his gaining the memories of the clone, an experience he had ignored previously since it had told him nothing and was thus ignored by his brain. This time, however, the brain registered it. Then Naruto registered it.

"You damn pervert! What do you mean me and Hinata could make the next great Icha Icha novel! She is a good friend of mine, and I won't let your super perverted mind do anything to mess with her!" Naruto began to gasp for air after his yell, when he realized something. "Wait, how did I know what he said?" Naruto pondered it for a moment, and before Shin could explain, Naruto came to the conclusion himself. "Wait, when Jiraiya destroyed my clone, did I get its memories?" Shin simply nodded in confirmation. "Does that mean I get all of my clones memories?" Shin nodded again. "Then why the hell did I notice this before! I use the technique often enough!"

Jiraiya stepped back onto the road as he began to explain. "The mind works in odd ways. If you see something, gaining memories of seeing it any different way are ignored since they conflict with the image currently seen by the eye. However, if the brain gains memories of things it does not see or remember entirely, it will remember these new memories and store them within itself. You have only been using them in the first way, so your brain never picked up on it. But Kage Bunshin no Jutsu was developed as a spy technique meant to get a man on the inside, get the info, dispel, and let the user know everything. Your chakra supply managed to make your version of the Kage Bunshin, an endless stream of foot soldiers, quite formidable. However, these two things will help us a lot."

Naruto followed Jiraiya down the road, deep in thought, trying to comprehend what he just learned. "So, if I get my clones memories, I gain everything it knows." Jiraiya nodded as Shin was curious if the boy was capable of figuring this out. Shin had heard, through rumor, that while the boy was quite impressive with on-the-field strategy, he was a dunce in the education department. He thought, perhaps, Danzo knew otherwise than believe the rumors, but Shin was curious who was right. Lord Danzo, or the village gossipers.

One should never doubt Lord Danzo. "So if I train with them, I get there memories?" Naruto more asked than anything. Jiraiya nodded.

"Yes, so you will be able to train in multiple things at once."

Naruto grinned. "I'm gonna learn everything in a week with all the clones I can do! Believe it."

Jiraiya was quick to dispel that notion. "No way. There is absolutely no way I am letting you train with anywhere near that many clone."

Naruto was confused. "But if I have a lot of clones do stuff at once, I will remember the stuff faster."

Jiraiya nodded. "While that is true, thinking that way will get you killed. The brain is very sensitive, and cannot handle an overload of information. If you were to have your clone hordes try to dispel all the information they learned, the mental stress would most likely kill you. On top of that, your brain is still developing since you are still growing, so the threshold you can take on a daily basis is much below how many clones you can do."

"Which is?" Naruto asked, somewhat depressed he would not be able to become stronger fast enough to destroy Sasuke when they got back.

"I would be comfortable with about ten or so clones learning thing, maybe up to fifteen with some of the lighter stuff I'm going to throw at you."

Naruto looked depressed, but that was short-lived. "Naruto-san, do not look so sad. Even with ten clones learning everything, you will gain almost two year's worth of experience in two month." Shin logically explained to Naruto.

Naruto thought that was awesome, but Jiraiya weakened it. "Maybe not two year's worth with the off days we will do for traveling purposes, but I think a the twelve to fifteen months worth of experience is still pretty good, don't you agree Naruto?" Even with that downgrade, Naruto thought that it was awesome. He couldn't wait to make it to the next town, to begin his training. Without warning, he shot off, followed by a neutral Shin and a frustrated Jiraiya.

…

Two hours after Naruto left and Hyuga Hinata recovered from her fainting spell, Kotesu and Izumo were on a semi-viligant look out while having a simple talk between themselves.

"So, do you think the Uzumaki kid was telling the truth about not getting Tsunade for Hokage?" Kotesu asked, ever the gossiper.

Izumo shrugged. "Maybe, but I doubt it. Only thing we know for sure is what the Hyuga girl said, that the Hyuga clan leader lost his bid for Hokage."

Kotesu grinned. "I heard another rumor when I was in the Jounin room yesterday. Apparently, the Uchiha and the Uzumaki kid were invited to the council to pick the Hokage. And they say it was to be character witnesses for Hatake Kakashi."

Izumo shook his head. "Why do you always slip into the Jounin room?"

"Because that is where the rumors are at! What do you think, Copy Cat Ninja as Hokage."

Izumo simply shook his head. "It would never work. The guy is so laid back he can be used as a part of the road. Not to mention he was so late to his own funeral they rescheduled."

Kotesu fell on the ground laughing so hard at the joke, totally unexpected from his 'straight man' best

friend. Izumo shook his head, trying to get his body off the ground, leaving the gates unguarded for a manner of ten seconds. It was all Kisame and Itachi needed. They quickly slipped in, the guards meant to stop them, or even slow them down, ignorant of their very existence. They donned their hats and walked casually to a tea shop Itachi would frequent before his execution of the Uchiha Clan, talking casually along the way.

"So, what do you think of Konoha?" Itachi asked Kisame.

Kisame sniffed the air a little bit, and blanched. "Too many pansies if you ask me. No one's chakra worthy of Samehada ."

Itachi nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid a peaceful village does tend to bring with it some drawbacks."

"Drawbacks? This village is fatally flawed if you ask me."

"They did survive an invasion from Orochimaru and the Shukaku."

Kisame shrugged. "So? You kicked Orochimaru's ass. Though I am glad we are getting this gaki rather than the Shukaku brat. I don't envy Deidara and Sasori in the least."

They casually entered the tea shop Itachi loved, and ordered a calming chamomile tea. It would sooth them for the hunt.


	5. Chapter 5

Here is chapter 5 of the story, and I fixed the mistakes of before. I took your guys advice, and did away with Little Hinata, as it wouldn't fit the tone of this story. I like this chapter, I hope you do to! So read, enjoy and review!

…

The guy that was supposed to show up and replace Naruto for Team Seven's spot while he was on the training trip did not show and it got Sakura angry. She had been confused when Sasuke told her about how Naruto was going to find the Sannin Tsunade with his second sensei, the Sannin Jiraiya. She knew that he had been training with some guy he called a pervert, but a Sannin? Then Sasuke clued her in about how that sensei of Naruto's was a giant pervert who wrote the bane of many women's existence, Icha Icha, and any and all respect for the man left the mind. In all honesty, Sakura began to believe that they deserved one another. Still she was angry at the fact that the new teammate never showed up, and began to storm off. When Sasuke asked where she was going, she yelled about super-duper late senseis and teammates. She then explained she was heading to Naruto's apartment to yell at him, she was reminded that he wasn't there. Sakura quickly made up the excuse that she was going to prank the 'prank king' and hide all of his precious ramen. Sasuke thought that was harsh, and decided to join in on the fun. It would be good to say to his kids about how he pranked the Hokage someday, when he is the strongest ninja in the village, and had begun to revive his clan. His mind accidentally gave one of his daughter's pink hair, ruining the fantasy, so he caught up with his teammate and followed her to Naruto's place.

If they had been more observant, they would have noticed the chakra of their new teammate emanating from the tree line. He had decided to observe them on the first day, as he had not really interacted with many people outside of his brother Shin since he began serving Lord Danzo and had forgotten many of the proper ways to act. He had picked up a book on human etiquette, and saw a section that suggested giving nicknames to friends to help establish bonds. He didn't get why he just couldn't call them Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, but the book said it would help them connect, one of the things Lord Danzo had oddly stressed on this extended mission.

The ninja finished his shading on the picture he had just drawn, of a random duck. He did not know where the inspiration came from, it had just happened. He admired his work, of a duck bending over to get food in a pond, when he saw it. He noticed that the duck's rear end eerily matched his teammate Sasuke's hairstyle. So should he call him Duckbutt? He thought about it, but shook off the idea. The book had suggested a 'playful' element to the name, and he had realized the Uchiha would not be humored by that name. So he decided to form another, keeping the duck motif. He was searching for a characteristic of a duck to use, when he remembered the sound it made. Quack. Could he call him that? It didn't sound right, it sounded too stiff, and the book said playful. Quacky, then.

Then he turned his attention to the female, Sakura Haruno. She was very loud, and quick to anger. Her pink hair stood out, and her forehead was noticeably larger than other people's. He wondered what would be a good, playful name for her. Harpy, Bubblegum, and Billboard came to mind, but they seemed too simple. He wanted it to be unique. Then he thought about the entirety of her, and realized he was put back by everything. She was too loud, in every sense of the word. She was not attractive to him, though he could understood how some could find solace in her appearance. He was just inherently repelled by her. He came to remember the Chunin Exams, where he had been among the ANBU who was securing the facility. He saw the fight between the Hokage-sama and the Hyuga branch member, and remembered the technique he used to stop all of the Hokage's advances and keep him at bay. Kaiten. He found the other nickname for his teammates.

Sai sighed. He wondered what Quacky and Kaiten would nickname him.

As they marched up the stairs to the place known as Naruto's apartment, Sasuke couldn't help but laugh. The new Hokage lived in this rather poor section of town. He had been in Naruto's place before, and the Hokage's office was just as big as it. He then tried to focus in on the mumblings of his most tolerated fan girl.

"Damn Naruto, I'm gonna hide all the ramen in your mattress. I'll cut out the spring, and pack it with the ramen. You don't have a bed, and your stupid precious ramen will be wasted."

Sasuke raised his eyebrow, impressed with the ingenuity of that little plan. If it wasn't for the fact Naruto would end up being moved into some well-guarded and high end mini-mansion, he would totally back the plan. He would help her anyway, if they were lucky, he would just take this mattress and put it into his new place. And it will hide all the ramen from him when he gets back. He sighed as Sakura began to look from door to door. She turned to Sasuke. "Did Naruto live in 2B or 2C?"

"2C."

Sakura looked at the door. "You sure?"

Sasuke nodded. "Remember that stupid song he taught us so we remembered where he lived. 'It's not very hard you see, I live in little apartment 2C."

Sakura remembered that and sighed. "Oh yeah." She had bopped him in the head especially hard for his terrible singing. That was the closest she had ever brought him to the hospital, which she was proud of in an odd way. Not that she was hurting him; the baka usually brought it on himself, but that she was strong enough to hurt that orange tank. Knowing Naruto, she reached for the doorknob and turned. As she expected, the door had been left unlocked. Again. She sighed as she swung the door open, muttering to herself, "I swear, he is going to get mugged someday." She looked up and gasped.

Sasuke was confused by her gasp, so he walked behind her and looked over her shoulder. Standing there, caught red-handed going through Naruto's personal effects, were two people. Both were wearing odd black cloaks that seemingly consumed the people beneath. The black cloaks were colored by blood red clouds. The first person's skin was blue, oddly enough, and he seemed to be carrying something on his back. The other was lanky, and was actually almost oblivious to the intrusion. Almost.

"Hello." The voice was hauntingly familiar to Sasuke. It set him on edge. And that is when the two people looked at their guests.

Sasuke knew he was screwed. By any definition of the word, screwed. He saw his brother there, the man he needed to kill, simply 10 or 15 feet away from him. He wanted to make a move to kill him with his chidori, but it wouldn't work. He was too far away, and if he moved his brother could end him. He knew the curse seal could boost his chakra to help him, but he had to worry about his troublesome teammate to cover, and the other man with his demon incarnate brother. He forgot his name, but his skin, size, and sword made it clear to Sasuke that he was one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist. And if he recalled, this one was even more dangerous than Zabuza. Two of the strongest individuals in the world, and they had encountered them breaking into their teammates, the future Hokage's home. His eyes grew wide. Did they know? If his brother was after him for some reason, the dobe was screwed. Sasuke thought very hard of a possible escape route from these men, as he knew he would die if he fought them, and fairly quickly too. He had a plan that could work, but it was something out of the Uzumaki playbook, so he went with it. He slammed the door shut, and gave into the power of the seal.

…

Jiraiya had grown tired of Naruto's constant begging of teaching him to Rasengan, or any other of the cool techniques he was going to learn, and had found a basic exercise for him to do. It was simple really, but perfect for Naruto. He had grabbed a leaf off of one of the numerous trees, and handed it to Naruto.

"Now, we both know your control really sucks. I mean sucks. I know you learned a few things to help it, from Kakashi-san and myself, but I want you to a little more practice. I want you to be able to keep this leaf stuck to your hand no matter how much you move. I don't care if you are swimming; you need to be keeping this leaf stuck to your hand."

Naruto whined. "Both that sounds so stupid. Why don't you show me a katon jutsu or something instead?"

Jiraiya gave a glance to the boy. "What is chakra made of?"

Naruto gave a surprise look. "What?"

"I said, gaki, what is chakra made of?"

"It is the mixture of our-"Shin began to recite, but Jiraiya stopped him.

"Not you, Danzo-brat. I meant Naruto. What is chakra?"

Naruto went back to his memory bank to remember that information, and recalled the day when Team Seven had learned how to walk up trees. "Chakra is the mix of physical energy and spiritual energy in one's body." He recited from his recollection of Sakura's mini-lesson.

"Correct. This exercise builds the spiritual energy, which you currently lack. It isn't your fault; spiritual energy takes time to build. To best use one's chakra, one needs a balance of the two. And as far as I know, chakra control exercises like this are the most efficient ways to build spiritual energy."

Naruto just nodded, feigning complete understanding.

Jiraiya realized this and sighed. "Do it, and you will be able to begin learning the Rasengan and you will be able to beat the Uchiha into dust."

"Really? Why didn't you say that in the first place?" Naruto grabbed the leaf from Jiraiya and immediately stuck it on his right hand, and focused his chakra there.

Jiraiya sighed, praying it would keep him quiet. However, the quiet one spoke up.

"Is it just me, or does he seem… stupid?" Shin stated to the Toad Sage.

Jiraiya shook his head. "No, he doesn't seem stupid, he is stupid."

"Hey, I heard that!"

"Get back to work with the leaf, gaki." Jiraiya yelled back at Naruto.

"If he is stupid, then why did Lord Danzo wish for him to be Hokage?" Shin asked.

Jiraiya knew he was on a slippery slope here, as he couldn't really say what he wanted to say about Danzo, but he knew the kid wouldn't trust him if he lied. Normally, that didn't matter, but Jiraiya didn't want to let something slip that let Danzo take more control over Naruto then he would get from working with him.

"I am only telling you these things because you know of his Hokage title, understand?" Shin nodded. "Naruto here is the container of the Kyuubi, which gives him massive chakra reserves, incredible healing, and sturdiness and stamina like you couldn't believe. He is also the son of the Fourth Hokage, giving him lineage. And on top of that, Naruto would die for this village, and would protect everyone in it, even the ones he doesn't like. Though I think it is still way too early to make him the Hokage, I really didn't see many other people I would want to be Hokage that hadn't already declined the position, so I ended up voting for him."

Shin still didn't understand. "But you said it yourself, he is stupid. How can expect him to become anything?" Naruto growled, but Shin ignored him.

"When I say Naruto is stupid, I mean as of right now," 'Hey!' " but he won't be forever. He can learn, he just never really had focus before now. And Naruto is the type of person who learns through experience really well, and not through a book. Kind of like me, hehehe." Jiraiya chuckled.

Shin slowly nodded. "I believe I understand. His potential is limitless, it just has not been cultivated."

"Right."

"Wouldn't it be wise to train him with Lord Danzo, however? He always trains us to our maximum potential."

Jiraiya sighed. How was he going to explain this? "Your Lord Danzo way of teaching usually involves elimination emotion, am I correct?"

Shin nodded. "Lord Danzo teaches us that emotion will hurt us in the long run as they cloud our judgment."

Jiraiya nodded, as he figured as much. "This will not work for Naruto, as he needs his emotions, as that is how he best operates. His emotions are his drive to succeed. Taking them away would take away Naruto's drive. And that won't help, will it."

"I suppose… you are… right." Shin hesitantly agreed.

"I know I am. And speaking about knowing, if you are here to help protect Naruto, I think I should get a grasp on your techniques. So, Shin, what fighting style do you use?"

"Black Wolf style, Jiraiya-sama."

"Black Wolf? I'm not familiar with that style. What does it consist of?"

"Black Wolf teaches us to first disable the limbs of our opponent, forcing our opponent to block with them and be crippled as a result. Then, with the help of devastating punches or kicks, one finishes off a crippled opponent"

"Sounds brutal."

"Brutal it might be, but Lord Danzo said he found it most efficient."

"I see… what of your chakra reserves? And your control with them?"

"Upon my examination yesterday to see if I was fit to protect the Hokage-sama, I was judged to have high chunin chakra reserves, coupled with mid chunin chakra control."

"Quite impressive for a… bodyguard." Jiraiya leadingly remarked.

"Bodyguard?" Shin asked, confused until he recalled what his Lord had told him. "Perhaps, but one would doubt a civilian would attempt to breach Lord Danzo's home. Only an over arrogant shinobi of some standing would think they would have a chance against us."

Jiraiya trained him well, but he was surprised to see that the kid showed a few emotions. He was surprised that Danzo would let an unbroken agent out on such an important mission. What Jiraiya didn't realize was that he needed an agent that could gain the trust of the new Hokage, and an unemotional tool was not up to the task of performing such a mission.

"What about the sword on your back? Are you any good with that?"

Shin almost looked insulted. "Of course I am. Lord Danzo demands talent with the blade. My talents with the tanto earn praise from Lord Danzo. My ability to defend is the best among his men!" Shin boasted, proud of himself. He knew pride made him weak, but he couldn't help it. It came naturally to him.

"What about attack?"

"Still quite exceptional."

Jiraiya was getting a good feel on the kids capabilities, but he needed to know more in case the Akatsuki made a move on Naruto.

"What of your genjutsu abilities?"

Shin frowned. "Unfortunately, they are somewhat lacking. I can dispel them, but I only know a few minor ones. Lord Danzo thought it would be better if I worked on my control of my fuma shuriken."

"What do you mean, control on a fuma shuriken." Shin had a proud look on his face.

"I have some talent with chakra threads, and Lord Danzo utilized this by having me learn how to control a fuma shuriken completely during its path of flight. I can do the same with shuriken and kunai, but it is much more effective with a fuma shuriken."

Jiraiya was surprised by such a route, but then he realized it was Danzo covering a kids weakness. He had a strength in close combat, but not in long range affairs, and his fuma shuriken control fixed that. Hate the man all you want, Jiraiya thought to himself, but he makes a complete ninja.

"What of your ninjutsu?"

"I have a few earth techniques I have learnt, but most of my training has been on taijutsu and kenjutsu until recently." He was almost apologizing for his focus on such, but Jiraiya was happy enough with the kid. Solid abilities and not a total tool. This kid had hope to break free from Danzo. If he could only help him along…

"Damn it leaf! Get back here."

Or a certain blonde gaki…

…

With Sakura out of the picture, Sasuke needed a plan to stall his brother and the swordsman long enough for the help Sakura was sent to get would come. He figured, out of everyone, Kakashi had the best shot of dealing with them. He knew Kakashi could defeat a Swordsman of the Mist, and he was also pretty sure Kakashi could hurt Itachi enough so he could go in for the kill with Chidori. He didn't really want to have to get help, but the sooner his brother was dead the better. And every moment Sasuke wasted standing in front of Naruto's closed door was another moment that they could escape.

Sasuke then reared back, and with a chakra-infused kick, sent the door flying off its hinges at the duo as a distraction. Simultaneously, he threw for 2 kunai at each person, based on where he last remembered them standing. Neither thing worked, as Itachi simply sidestepped the door and the swordsman used his sword to block them. That not working, Sasuke headed for the swordsman. If he could disarm him, he had a better shot of survival. Feinting a punch, Sasuke used the momentum to try to roundhouse kick the sword away. The swordsman easily saw through the faint and plan and caught the roundhouse kick with his foot. He then tried to throw into the wall Sasuke, but Sasuke managed to spin and land on the wall, using the tree-walking skills he had learned. Sasuke pulled out a smoke bomb and threw it between the middle of the two, who were mildly surprised by the tactic. He peppered the smoky area with shuriken, and jumped in, Sharingan active, into the smoke and began to elegantly swing through the smoke with his last two kunai. One for offense, one for defense, he systematically cleared the possible area in the smoke where the two of them could be. By the time the smoke faded away, Sasuke had swiped through it all, getting nothing. He saw the reason why, as both men had jumped out of the smoke. Taking a breath of fresh air, Sasuke glared at the man considered his brother. "Why are you in Naruto's house?"

The swordsman laughed. "None of your business brat." He then took a good look at the kid and was surprised. "Hey, Itachi, how does this brat have the Sharingan? I thought you killed your entire clan."

Itachi responded. "No Kisame, I left one alive. Meet my little brother, Sasuke-chan." Sasuke growled at the name, but was cut off by his observant brother. "And I see my brother has met Orochimaru."

Sasuke's eyes flashed in confusion, and his hand subconsciously reached for the seal. "How did you know?"

"Sasuke, you are not the first Uchiha Orochimaru tried giving the Curse Seal of Heaven too. He tried a few years ago with me, but I scared him away. I guess he went to the scraps of the clan."

"I won't be the scraps when I kill you, Itachi!" Sasuke growled.

Kisame laughed. "Heh, you kill Itachi? That's real likely brat. You got the same chance of that happening as I do becoming Kazekage."

"It doesn't matter what you think. Die, Itachi!" Sasuke charged his brother, and a battle of taijutsu took place. Sasuke tried throwing a punch to the face, but Itachi shifted his head. Sasuke went for a shot with his left to his ribs, and Itachi slapped it away. Sasuke went for a kick to his knee, but he just flexed it away from the blow. Sasuke began to throw a volley of blows, aiming for the body or face of his brother. They were all simply dodged, or if to his sternum, Itachi blocked it with a slap. It was all done to humiliate his brother, and Sasuke began to draw chakra from the seal. He then threw a punch to Itachi's chest, but was stopped by Itachi's left handed slap. Surprising him, Sasuke grabbed the wrist, and threw a punch with his other arm. Itachi tried to slap it away, but his right wrist befell the same fate. His hands occupied, Sasuke sent a chakra infused jumping knee to Itachi's jaw, hoping it would break. As it connected, Sasuke let go of the hands, and watched Itachi fly into table, crashing through it. Kisame was surprised by the turn of events, and Sasuke was happy from his success, but his smile fell as Itachi casually stood up and dusted himself off. He spit out a little bit of blood, but other wise seemed fine. His jaw hadn't been affected much, as he began to speak.

"Weak, brother. You are still far too weak. I could have killed you at any time. Even when you did get in a blow, it lacked power. You lack hate, little brother. Without it, you will never defeat me."

Sasuke growled at the lambasting of his talents, and charged in at his brother. He threw his left fist hard at Itachi's face, but he simply caught the fist. Using his superior strength, he made Sasuke buckle to his might. He forced Sasuke onto his knees, and had bent back his wrist.

"You lack the hate needed to kill me. Perhaps you need a reminder…" With that Itachi activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and caught his little brother into the dreaded Tsukuyomi. He had planned on forcing his brother to relive the massacre of their clan, but before he could begin his torment, Sasuke vanished. Confused, he deactivated his Mangekyo Sharingan and saw a poof of white smoke. Which meant that-

"Little brother copied Naruto's Kage Bunshin. This makes things interesting." Itachi told his partner. Kisame grunted.

_Flashback:_

_After Sasuke let the power of the curse seal activate, he threw his hands together into the clone seal, and quietly muttered, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." With that, two other Sasuke's popped into existence._

_Sakura's eyes went wide. "Sasuke-kun! When did Naruto teach you Kage Bunshin?"_

_Sasuke was a little exhausted from use of chakra, and was panting lightly. "He didn't. I copied it in practice by accident. I would use it more, but it takes a lot of chakra out of me. The only reason I can summon two and not be wiped is the extra chakra the seal gives me." He turned his clones. "You, "pointing to the the one on his left, "go to the hospital and get Gai-sensei. Tell him who's here." He turned to the clone on the right. "You, stall." Then he turned to Sakura. "Find any of the other jounin you can, and tell them my brother and one of the Seven Swordsman are at Naruto's apartment. I';m going to find Kakashi. Break!" With that, the real Sasuke and his kage bunshin jumped away, leaving a confused Sakura and the stall clone._

_He looked annoyed at Sakura for not going. "You heard the head. Go and find some jounin who can help." The clone's command brought Sakura back into reality and got her moving. She jumped away, leaving the final clone planning his assault on the deadly duo._

_End Flashback_

With the Sasuke clone:

He hopped from rooftop to rooftop, going as fast as possible to avoid any silly fangirls. He looked at the hospital in the distance, and kicked it into high gear.

The reason he wanted his help was because of how he had managed to train Lee. Lee was a no-talent dobe, and had been turned into a taijutsu machine. He knew that, if Gai had to be much better than Lee, and also did not have his limitations with chakra, so he probably knew a few strong jutsus.

As he landed in front of the hospital, he made a dash for the front desk. The nurse there jumped in surprise when Sasuke flew in and slammed his hands on the desktop and demanded what room was Rock Lee being kept in. She managed to stutter out the room number, and found Sasuke immediately gone from her sight.

Lee's room was on the third floor, so Sasuke found the first staircase he could, and leapt up them a flight at a time. He flew into the hallway, and quickly rushed into Lee's room, and was right to see Mighty Guy comforting him. Guy greeted him.

"Ah, Kakashi's most youthful student, how are-" He was cut off.

"No time for your stupid youth today. My brother and one of the Seven Swordsman are at Naruto's apartment!"

Lee, from his bed, was shocked at Sasuke's comment. "No time for youth! One must always make time for youth! Right, Gai-sensei. " He turned to where his sensei had been, but found air. Gai was already halfway to Naruto's apartment.

With Sakura:

She was scared. No, scared was back when she had to deal with those Oto nins in the Forest of Death.

She was petrified.

Sasuke's brother? The one that killed his entire clan? And a Seven Swordsman? Like that Zabuza guy Kakashi defeated? They were in the village? And in Naruto' s apartment? Why?

She was so filled with questions, she nearly forgot her mission. That was, until, she was Ino-pig and the rest of Team Ten. Realizing they might have their jounin with them, she jumped off the building and landed in front of them to their surprise.

"Where's Asuma-sensei?" She asked them quickly.

"Not here, what do you need him for Billboard-brow?"

Ignoring the insult, she turned to the smart one. "Do you know where he is?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Probably with Team Eight at Ichikaru's. They usually go their for lunch."

With that information, Sakura left. Ino was frustrated that she couldn't find out what Sakura needed Asuma-sensei for, and was very curious how Shikamaru knew where Asuma was.

"How did you know he would be there, Shikamaru?" She almost screeched in his ear.

He sighed. "Toublesome… Hinata gets Team Eight to eat there so she can watch Naruto, and Asuma goes there to watch Kurenai-sensei."

Ino was surprised. "Why would sensei spy on Kurenai?"

Chouji stopped his eating as he explained. "Same reason you do it with Sasuke, Ino-chan. He likes her."

Ino grinned at the new gossip she just learned.

Sakura had located Ichikaru's and burst in, scaring those eating there.

"Asuma-sensei, Kurenai-sensei, Sasuke-kun's brother and one of the Seven Swordsman are at Naruto-san's apartment!"

With that news, both left like a rocket. Ichikaru wasn't even going to complain about them skipping out on their tab, as he was worried about Naruto too. He had fed enough ninja and heard enough stories to know how dangerous both men must be.

If he was worried, there wasn't a word for Hinata's feelings. She was quivering in fear for her precious Naruto-kun. They were after him? Why were they after Naruto? The only thing tha kept her from going hysterical was her knowledge in his safety out of town and with a Sannin.

With the real Sasuke:

He needed to get Kakashi-sensei. He would deal with the swordsman. And whoever Sakura got would help.

Gai was so fast, he could Itachi could catch him with the Sharingan. He would hurt him, bad. Then Sasuke would kill him.

It wasn't the way it was supposed to happen, but it was the way it would happen. Itachi would die, and his clan avenged.

He headed to the spot where he figured Kakashi lingered for hours and was the reason he was always late. He headed to where they had became genin, and to the memorial stone they were shown.

He was right, Kakashi was there.

"Sensei, I need you help."

Kakashi turned to Sasuke, and saw the mark active.

"Sasuke, what did I say about us-" He was cut off.

"Itachi's here. With one of the Seven Swordsman. At Naruto's apartment."

Kakashi let the curse of heaven go as he leapt to Naruto's apartment to cut off the duo.

'So', he thought to himself, 'Akatsuki is making its move.' He had learned about the group from Jiraiya last night, and when you combined the fact he was Hokage, it was a shitstorm waiting to happen. 'No time to lose, then.' He told himself, and he went full speed to the apartment of his sensei's son and precious student.

Sasuke was quick to follow, as he did not want to miss the chance of killing his brother. The memory of his clone hit him then, and his fight with Itachi was the thing he focused on. He had called him weak. He had acted like it was nothing. He was going to show him nothing. The dark haze of chakra surrounded him as the seal's power came into full force.


	6. Chapter 6

So, chapter six is here and it is the longest so far. I have to apologize for the wait, it just took me forever to go write the fight scenes. I hope no one minds how I handled this, and that you like this. Sorry if my explanations for somethings seem off, I'm working with the best that I can do. I just hope you enjoy it, and make sure you review. Literally, over 100 people have this story on alert. It isn't hard to drop a review. Your opinions do matter

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

…..

Kisame was not amused by the situation in the least. He had actually lost a little respect for his powerful partner. "You let yourself get hit by a kage bunshin, Itachi-san? How pitiful."

Itachi didn't directly respond. "That was meant to test his skills. If he could perform that jutsu, perhaps he isn't as weak as I thought."

Kisame shrugged and looked around. "Anyway, the brat isn't here. Should we check the training grounds this shithole has to offer, or what?"

Itachi shook his head. "No doubt, the pink haired girl and the real Sasuke went to get reinforcements."

Kisame let out a chuckle. "So? All they would be is a meal for Samehada."

Itachi sighed. "Believe it or not, Kisame, a handful of Konoha's top jounin can harm us. And if they manage to retrieve the Toad Sannin, then I fear one of us may not make it out alive. I think it would be best for us to depart."

Kisame glared at Itachi. "You're no fun."

With that, they jumped out of the window and began to speed to the borders of Konoha.

"So, how are we going to handle this? Will we tell the leader that we failed because you got cold feet?" Kisame asked Itachi.

"No. We should hide around the border of Konoha for a few days. Our presence may lead to them evacuating the jinchuriki with a few guards. Then, we will take out said guards and snatch him. If they send out the Toad Sannin however, I believe we should head back to the base. He will understand my reasoning."

Kisame sighed. "Then I really hope this gaki doesn't get the royal treatment. Samehada is getting hungry."

"STOP!" The loud command made them pause out of surprise of the command, and turn to where it was from. Behind them was Kurenai, with Asuma right behind her. It was obvious to Itachi that they had been spotted. If he had been born a Nara, and not an Uchiha, he would no doubt call this situation 'troublesome.'

"Uchiha Itachi, you are under arrest for the massacre of the Uchiha clan. Please come with us quietly, or else your life will be forfeit." Asuma commanded, glaring at the Uchiha.

Kisame laughed. "You think catching us will be that easy."

Asuma nodded his head. "Actually shark man, I do."

There is a pause and a smile. From behind them they hear, "Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death success. So, boys, how does it feel like knowing you are about to die?"

Kisame's earlier laugh turned into a roar. Kurenai was very confused. "Why are you laughing?"

Without explaining, he swiped Samehada in front of Itachi, and Itachi let out a sigh. He turned around to look at Kurenai. "Kisame's sword is very special. In short, it consumes chakra. This naturally disturbs the flow of one's chakra, making him immune to all genjutsu. Since he took a bit of my chakra with that swipe, he disrupted the genjutsu placed on me. Then again, genjutsu on an Uchiha is very foolish because of our Sharingan." With that, his black eyes began to twirl straight to a version of Sharingan she didn't recognize. "So, genjutsu mistress, let me show you a real genjutsu. Tsukuyomi!"

Suddenly, Kurenai found herself in a black and white world. Her first action was to try and release the genjutsu, but it failed. She tried again, pumping in more chakra, and that failed to do anything. She finally decided to try and reverse the genjutsu, using a high level technique she had been allowed to learn from the Scroll of Seals, the same scroll Naruto had taken to learn the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. There wasn't even a slight distortion in the world, showing that this powerful technique had no effect on… whatever technique Itachi had placed Kurenai under.

"Incredible… how is this possible?" She murmured to herself.

"Because, Kurenai-san," She jumped as she heard the voice behind her. It was Itachi, standing menancingly a few feet away. "This is the true power of the sharingan. You are in my world now. For the next 72 hours, you are under my power." With those words, he mysteriously vanished, and she found herself strung up to a cross. Struggling to break free, she nearly didn't notice the four people standing in front of her. She caught them out of the corner of her eye, and was shocked to see Hinata, Kiba, Shino, and Asuma in black and white.

Asuma stepped up first, smoking his cigarette. He blew out some smoke and sighed. "Why the hell would I ever go out with an ugly bitch like yourself?" With that, he took his cigarette and pressed it against her forehead, causing her to nearly yell out. He faded from existence, and the next to step up was Shino.

He looked at her from behind the cold sunglasses he always wore as a swarm of kikai bugs left him. "You are a useless sensei. Why do you ask? Because you can teach us nothing and only hinder our growth. Your existence is beyond me." With that, the swarm converged on her, filling her mouth, nose, and ears, and latching onto every exposed piece of skin. She wanted to yell, but it would only make it worse as the bugs crawled inside and on her. She felt the chakra being drained, and the many tiny nips of the omnivorous bugs pecking at the soft flesh in her nose, her ear, and in her throat.

Finally, the sensation left her, letting her cough aloud to try to remove the feeling that had developed. She looked up, seeing Kiba as her next tormentor, with Akamaru wearing a sinister grin on his shoulder. He walked up to her, smiling and turned to Akamaru. "I think I found wear you could use the bathroom. That is all she is good for." With that, Akamaru raised his legs and let out a jet stream of urine onto her face. It shot up her nose and into her mouth, gagging her and making her try to spit it out.

She blinked it out of her eyes, and saw Hinata look very determined. Before she could do anything, a seal lit up on the ground beneath them. "You are within my range," Hinata started saying, " Hakke Sunjuni Sho!" With that, she began to call out the strikes she landed on Kurenai. "Two Palm!" "Four Palm!" "Eight Palm!" "Sixteen Palm!" "Thirty-two Palm!" When the last blow hit, Kurenai fell off the cross. She managed to raise her head, looking at her student wearing an uncharacteristic Hyuga façade for her. She tried to reach out to her beloved student, but that caused the façade to break and her beginning to sob.

"Why didn't it work! That should have paralyzed you! Why can you move?" Kurenai felt heartbroken, and tried to comfort Hinata, but got nothing. "Father was right! I am weak! I'm useless, and I will always be useless!" Kurenai had gotten to her knees, and Hinata was within her reach, when Hinata backed up suddenly and pointed an accusing finger. "Why did you lie to me! You swore you would help me! You would make me strong! You would prove my father wrong! But you are a liar! I'm still weak! You lied to me, and failed me!"

Kurenai finally found her voice. "Hinata-chan, I wouldn't lie to you. You aren't a failure!"

She heard a loud sniff. "Liar. I'll turn out just like her!"

"Her? Who's her, Hinata-chan?" Kurenai asked.

Hinata pointed behind her, and Kurenai had a blast from the past. Then she saw the picture that blast had drawn and, in a flash, everything went black to her.

She woke up breathing heavily, looking around and found nothing, relieve.

"Don't worry, Kurenai-san. We still have 71 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds."

Itachi's voice led to appearances of her team and Asuma, their looks the same as before.

…

"Damn it, why can't I get this stupid leaf thing to work."

Jiraiya sighed aloud. Again. He really wish his new apprentice would just shut up. Thankfully, Shin came to the rescue.

"Because, Naruto-san, you are becoming angry. That anger draws some of the Kyuubi's chakra from its seal, which messes with the entirety of your control. If you would relax and calm down, you would find this exercise to be easier. Also, using Shadow Clones would help you understand the exercise more easily. If you recall what Jiraiya-sama explained to you earlier, you gain the experiences of your clones."

With that, Naruto nodded. "Thanks, Shin. You just might be a better sensei than Ero-sannin over there." He took a deep breath, and let himself relax. He threw up his signature crossing of the fingers, and proclaimed. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Into existence popped a dozen clones. The boss began to organize his workers. "Now, go get leaves and perform the exercise, alright?" A chorus of hai's were heard, and a dozen pairs of footsteps were heard rushing to the nearby trees.

The real Naruto quickly caught up to Jiraiya. "Now, Ero-sannin, since my clones are doing the exercise, you can start teaching me that awesome Rasengan thing you showed me, right!"

"First of all, call me Ero-sannin again and I will turn us back around and let Ebisu-san teach you on this trip. Secondly, I don't have the tools necessary to teach you it right now."

Naruto was curious. "What tools do you need to teach me that, Ero- I mean Jirayia-sensei?" He didn't want to be taught by Ero-sensei, so he would have to suck it up.

"We will need water balloons for the first step." Jiraiya simply told him.

"Water balloons?" Naruto questioned him.

Jiraiya simply replied. "Water balloons."

Naruto shook his head, wondering how the hell water balloons would teach him an awesome jutsu like that. He turned to this other traveling companion, Shin, and asked. "Hey, Shin, can you teach me something? You are an awesome sensei and all"

Jiraiya shook his head, knowing they were only two hours from town. What could the boy possibly pick up, by himself, in two hours?" He had obviously forgotten how long Naruto had to learn Kage Bunshin.

Shin simply began to tap his chin as he walked. "I think I know the perfect jutsu to show you, if Jiraiya-sama doesn't mind my intrusion of teaching his student."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, unsure of what Danzo's kid was thinking, but he figured it wouldn't hurt. "Sure, kid, you can show the gaki something."

Naruto grinned. He was going to learn an awesome jutsu. "So, what are you going to show me Shin?"

"A very simple jutsu, one that I believe, with your large chakra reserves, you will be able to perform in no time."

"Yeah, which one?"

Shin suddenly put his hands and formed the ram seal and disappeared behind a puff of smoke. As the smoke dispersed within a manner of seconds, Naruto saw nearly a quarter mile up the road Shin. Naruto's eyes went wide in surprise as he ran to catch up with him, catching up to him in a minute or so.

"How did you move so fast?"

Shin took a few breaths, going much farther than he had planned, and explained. "I used Shunshin no Jutsu."

"Shunshin no Jutsu? Body Flicker? Huh?" Naruto asked.

Shin began to explain. "Using the ram seal to generate chakra within your body, you disperse it to every inch of your being, allowing yourself to move at incredible speeds. You can go further depending upon how much chakra you use to enhance yourself. This is superior to simply enhancing chakra in your legs and arms, since it allows for a smooth burst of speed. As you can see, it allowed me to move at a rate almost impossible in any other sense. Many people who see it confuse it as teleportation, or only see a flicker of body movement before the person reappears elsewhere. The puff of smoke is used to disguise one's movements, allowing more time to escape from an unfavorable situation or repositioning one's self for an attack."

Naruto nodded his head, understanding. A little. "So I use the ram seal so chakra fills my body, and then I move really fast to dodge things or to move?" He asked Shin.

Jiraiya had already caught up. "A gaki way of explaining it, but yeah, pretty much."

"Cool!" With that, Naruto formed the ram seal and began to generate the necessary chakra. "Shunshin no Jutsu!" He called out, though he really didn't need to, and his body flickered. Five feet.

He turned, looking around, and saw how far he had gotten. "Dammit! I thought I would have gone farther." He threw his hands into the ram seal, and called out the jutsu's name again. He flickered again. Five feet two inches. Progress!

Shin sighed. "At least he is able to perform the absolute basics of it."

Jiraiya nodded." Maybe, but the gaki is going to be doing that the entire time we are walking. Thanks a lot, Shin-chan." He finished in an irritated tone, which didn't escape Shin.

"Um, sorry, Jiraiya-sama." He said as he jogged to catch up to the toad sage. Behind them, a dozen Naruto's obliviously tried sticking leaves to their hands, some succeeding, others failing horribly. They all, however, failed to notice the chakra coming from the pair of beady yellow eyes watching the dozen Naruto's from the coverage given to him by the undergrowth.

…

_Earlier that morning:_

The three members from the Sandaime's old council and the newest member of the Godaime's council were unaware of the Uchiha's presence in Konoha, but it was unlikely that they would be aware of it until the events were over. Even Danzo's ROOT members would be unable to reach the secure location the four were sitting, the oldest three on one side of the table, a few folders beside them, the youngest across from them, looking bored out of his mind.

Koharu cleared her throat, attracting the attention of Shikamaru from his daydream. "I bet you are wondering why we have brought you here to this secure location, Nara-san."

Nara looked around to the metal room with only one door, locked from the inside so no one may enter. He noticed the seals on the corner of this room, signifying strong barriers from both sound and any other chakra. This room was impenetrable. It was quite impressive to the Nara, if he was bothered to think about it. "Not really, Elder-sama." He sighed, lying only because it was simpler. Well, it wasn't really lying if you were 99.99862% sure of why they were here, now was it?"

Koharu frowned. "This, Nara-san, is the ultimate result of a need of privacy. This is the "Silent Room", called this because the seals placed in here keeps it absolutely silent to the outside world."

Homura finished the explanation. "Also because anything spoken in this room stays in this room. The matters discussed here may not be discussed anywhere else in the world besides here and the Hokage's office with full seal activation's on. Understand, Nara-san?"

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah, yeah, how troublesome. Basically, what we say in the room, stays in the room. Don't worry, it would be too troublesome to tell anyone anything anyway."

Danzo observed this Nara, this very distant relation from his mother born decades before, and inwardly smirked. He knew of Nara men, and this boy was the epitome of them. The smartest and laziest Nara alive, one of the saddest contradictions in the shinobi world. Danzo knew if he could harness the drive of an Uchiha, or of any ninja really who wished to succeed, and an intelligent Nara, greatness was born. That was, of course, how he came into being.

"Nara-san," Danzo began, "We have brought you to the Silent Room to intiate with you the secrets that are for the eyes of the Hokage and his council exclusively. Do you understand?"

Shikamaru was tempted to say no, and ask if he could leave, but he couldn't do that. Besides needing to help Naruto plan war on Otokagure, he needed to help Naruto from making decisions that would hurt Konoha. Shikamaru, hidden underneath his slothful exterior, burned the heart of a shinobi loyal to Konoha, one that wanted to make sure Konoha would be at its best. And the best way to do this would be to make sure Naruto doesn't screw it up.

"Yes, I understand."

The three elders nodded to each other, and handed Shikamaru the first folder.

"This folder, " Homura explained, "lists the names, codenames, rank, and experience of every past member of ANBU, active or retired, deceased or alive."

Shikamaru flicked it open, reading through the many names, and wasn't surprised by any of them. These were the elite of the village, and their records showed it. He spent a few minutes going over the names before he closed the folder. "Next." He simply stated, as he put the folder down and slid it back to the elders.

Homura and Koharu were slightly offended by the bluntness of Shikamaru, but they did not let it show. Koharu took the next folder, and slid it over to Shikamaru. It was thicker than the first, which wasn't not especially thin.

"This is an in-depth map of Konoha, the most detailed map built, showing every tunnel, every ditch, every house, every shack, everything of Konoha. If it were to fall in the wrong hands, Konoha would fall."

Shikamaru tried to not let the drastic statement get to him, even though he knew it was right. If he had this type of map of Otokagure, it would be child's play to take it over and ruin Orochimaru's little village.

He reviewed the map for nearly fifteen minutes, trying to burn it into memory off-hand. It would be troublesome, but it would be worth it. He would be able to always find a hiding spot from his mother or Ino when he wanted to watch the clouds. Shikamaru had it committed to memory and nodded to the trio, indicating he was done with looking over the map. Danzo had to admit, even though he didn't want this kid anywhere near him and his plan, he would have made one of the finest members of ROOT, possibly greater than Fu. His intelligence and abilities were incredible, off the charts even by Danzo's standards. He only wished he had known sooner about his potential. It was not the first time Danzo had admitted that to himself, and he knew it would not be the last.

This continued on for nearly a half hour, as secrets were revealed to Shikamaru and he was quick to absorb them. They reached the final folder in the pile, and it was the only one that was sealed.

Koharu placed her hand firmly on this folder. "You have accepted everything you have learned today in great stride, Nara-san, and we are almost done. The only thing left is…this."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrow to how she said that, but that was the only betrayal of his interest.

"This folder, "Danzo began to explain, "contains things that you may find unpleasant or deeply wrong. You will almost certainly not like what you find here, but you must swear on an oath of death to never discuss this outside of the two designated areas."

Shikamaru was surprised at how serious this was, and decided to up his game to be so as well.

"I swear on an oath of death to never discuss what I read in that folder outside of the two designated areas." He quickly repeated, wanting to get the process over with.

Homura nodded, taking the sealed foder from Koharu and unsealed it. He placed it in front of Shikamaru, who was quick to read the title page of this document.

ANBU X

…

Kurenai was utterly exhausted. She had been under this genjutsu for who knows how long, being tortured by her team, her crush, and her greatest failure. Each time they came, it seemed like a new insult was formed to demean her, and she was close to cracking.

"You have held up fairly well, Kurenai-san. But you still have 29 hours, 44 minutes, and 7 seconds left. I wonder if you can last?" The disembodied voice of Itachi Uchiha continued to haunt her as the next round of insults haunted.

"Sorry Kurenai, but I don't sleep with the village whore." Her hair was chopped off by Asuma's trench knives.

"You will always be a failure, Kurenai. Why, do you ask? Because you cannot escape such a simple genjutsu like this. You are worth less than my kikai's excrement." To her horror, his swarm covered her with their filth. The smell made her want to gag.

"Do you know what they do to useless bitches, Kurenai? They put them to sleep." Twin Gatsuga's were unleashed, smashing into her chest.

'It hurts so much," Kurenai thought to herself. "I wish I could die, or that I was asleep and this was just some horrible dream."

Suddenly, the key word asleep gave her an idea. If it worked, then she could escape this hell. But it all came down to timing.

"Kurenai, you are worthless. If you had done anything for me, I could have been with Naruto—kun. Now I must marry him." The shadow of a fat ugly pig of a man came into few as Hinata sent half a dozen blows directly to Kurenai's chest. She was released from the cross, and knew she only had two or three second before she killed her. She threw her hands together and formed a ram sign.

Weakily she called out her possible saving grace. "Tanuki Neiri no Jutsu!" Just like Gaara had a few days before, Kurenai fell asleep before the strike could land.

Itachi was impressed by Kurenai. Not only had she survived his Tsukuyomi technique, she escaped from it using a sleep-inducing jutsu. He made a note of that for future reference. He looked up at the battle field, and saw an asleep Kurenai at his feet, and his partner Kisame was already in a battle of the blades with Asuma. Trench knives met with the Samehada, Asuma being careful not to infuse chakra. It appeared Itachi made a mistake in explaining how the Samehada worked. No matter to him. He was going to join fray and incapacitate his opponent when a green blur stood in front of him. He recognized that bowl cut from anyway.

"It is good to see you again…Gai-san."

He could see, despite not seeing his face, the flash that accompanied a Gai grin. "Ah, Itachi. I see you remember me."

"Of course, Gai-san. You are quite the memorable person. Pity I have to beat you know, I would rather like to catch up."

He could feel the switch in Gai to seriousness. "Do not take me for a fool, Itachi. Now, what were you doing in Kakashi's precious student's home?"

"My job," was Itachi's response.

With that Gai let out a quiet growl, not liking where this was going. He decided to take this moment to attack, coming full speed at Itachi. He kept his head down, watching Itachi's hips, knowing the danger of the Sharingan from his many battles with Kakashi. He saw a slight shift to his left, so he threw a kick, only to get air as Itachi ducked under it. He tried to follow up with a roundhouse kick, but that failed to connect. He looked around, finding Itachi, and charging full steam at him. He threw a punch, and was satisfied to have it hit skin. However, the skin popped into smoke, making him realize it was a Kage Bunshin. Realizing the flaw in watching only up to his hips, he changed his game plan for it to be to this shoulders. He focused his senses, and felt the chakra gathering behind him, so he jumped out of the way of the incoming fireball. He quickly found Itachi from it, and kept his eyes locked to the upper half of his body. This was going to be a tough fight, Gai quickly realized, with his inability to look at anything near eye level or be caught in the Sharingan. But he knew, with his power of youth, he would defeat this traitor where he stood.

On Asuma's side of things, he couldn't help but feel toyed with. It seemed like the Swordsman was barely trying with his mighty sword, as if he pitied trench knives he was using. Enough was enough for Asuma, as he had a plan.

He managed to force Kisame into an overhead strike with the sword, and Kisame was surprised to see that Asuma only used one trench knife to block the sword. He could feel the chakra being drawn into his sword and he almost smiled. However, he remembered the other trench knife and decided to jump back in order to avoid being stabbed. He thought he had been clear of the knife by a good foot when Asuma slashed it, but he still felt the cut near his lower abdomen. He was confused by how he got hit, until he saw the trench knife and the green chakra dissipating from it. 'Wind chakra', Kisame thought to himself. He decided to start getting serious, since he knew wind chakra was basically a long range sword. And when it came to swords, he would always win.

He flashed his hands together and made the necessary seal. "Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu." With that, three Kisame's formed around him.

Asuma's eyes went wide in surprise. "H-h-how did you do that? There is no water around her for suiton jutsu!"

The real Kisame flashed a grin. " A true shinobi makes do with the environment. There is water all around us, in the air we breath. I merely collected it together to get the water necessary." Without orders, the three Kisame's went on the offensive.

Desperate, Asuma loaded his trench knives with his wind chakra and let a devastating slash erupt from his blades. Two of the Kisame's were caught by the powerful attack, while the final jumped in the air. He brought his sword down on Asuma, expecting to knock him out with such a powerful blow. Asuma knew his trench knives would be no match against such an attack, so he went into his collection of ninjutsu. Flashing through the signs as quickly as he could, he let his hand hang on the snake seal. "Futon: Daitoppa." With that, a great gust of wind forced the Mizu bunshin away from him. It landed hard on the tiles of the roof, releasing into a puddle of water.

Unperturbed by his weak clones lack of success, Kisame flashed through some more hand signs. Obviously, the monkey over there saw a fight with the blades would not be to his favor, so he was going to put some distance between them. Kisame could care less, he would annihilate the man in front of him. He wasn't the Monster of the Hidden Mist for nothing.

"Suiton: Suikodan no Jutsu." Kisame called out, and the water from the failed Mizu Bunshin collected together, along with other water in the air, to form a small, but ferocious shark. Grinning, he thrust his hands forward, ordering the shark to attack Asuma. The mizu shark was happy to oblige, as it barreled towards Asuma. Asuma flashed through the hand signs of his Futon: Daitoppa technique and unleashed it towards the shark. The power behind the jutsu, however, overcame the lesser gust used meaning to deflect it and it attacked Asuma.

It tried to clench its jaws around his legs, and actually had a hold of his left leg. Asuma was near panic, but he tried to keep his cool as best as he could. Before the shark could rip off his leg, Asuma thrust both trench knives into the skull of the mizu shark, forcing the technique to cancel. Asuma inspected his leg immediately, evaluating the damage. He was relieved to see it did minimum damage to his leg muscle, and avoided all of the major artiries. He could survive the attack, if he could escape from the man in front of him. But just like a true shark, Kisame smelled the blood and let out a feral grin. As he stalked towards his prey, however, two figures got in his way. He was quick to recognize both.

"So I see the little Itachi and the copycat ninja have come to play." His grin purposefully terrifying.

Sasuke growled at the insult, but Kakashi was quick to call orders. "Sasuke, get Kurenai-san and Asuma-san to safety."

"But Kakashi-sensei, Itachi-" Kakashi cut off his pleading student.

"Do what I said, Sasuke." There was a brief staredown, but Sasuke was quick to retrieve both Asuma and Kurenai, both of them over his shoulder. He jumped a bit away, to a nearby building, and placed Asuma and Kurenai down on the ground. Before Asuma could say anything, Sasuke left the duo to rejoin the battles. Asuma sighed, and looked at the unconscious figure next to him. It was cruel, to see the woman he was in love with in such a state. He held her close to him as he waited for someone who could get them to a hospital.

Gai was becoming very frustrated with Itachi. Though Gai knew that they were both shinobi, and deception was the name of the game, he still found Itachi's tactics most unyouthful. He had avoided almost any confrontation taijutsu wise, and if they did do battle it was with a shadow clone that he had managed to summon. He would send murders of crows at Gai, forcing him to dodge. He would throw fireballs at him, keeping him at bay and putting his hair at risk.

Most unyouthful indeed.

Though he didn't like the concept, he would have to resort to ninjutsu to help in this battle. If only for tracking purposes. He bit his thumb, drawing blood, and flashed through a few hand signs. " Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" With the call, a puff of smoke surrounded Gai. Around him, four tortoises, each coming to his knee and roughly a three and a half foot diameter. Each looked towards Gai, somewhat surprised they had been summoned.

"Ah, my youthful tortoise allies, I need your help. I am battling a most unyouthful man named Itachi Uchiha."

The eldest of the tortoises looked surprise. "An Uchiha, I thought they were gone!"

Gai nodded. "Hai. And he is the reason. I need you to be my eyes, since you can simply dispel if he catches you in anything. Understand?" A chorus of hai's reached his ears. "Then let the power of youth explode!" With that, Gai activated the first of the Eight Inner Gates, and rushed forward faster than before.

"Dynamic Action!" With the tortoises telling him everything he needed to know, he began to unleash a fury of punches and kicks at Itachi. It was the real one, as he felt three punches and two of his kicks connect. He made a grab for his robe, and grabbed the black with red cloud cloak. He used it to wrap it securely around Itachi, making sure he had no place to go. He then, with his impressively boosted strength, jumped high in the air. He and Itachi flipped upside down, and Gai piledrove him into the ground, calling out "Omote Renge" as he broke through the roof and top floor of the building they had been fighting on.

Gai had been protected by the attack cranially since he reinforced his hair with chakra to act like a helmet, but the person he was holding didn't have such luck. The tortoise, Nintaku, was knocked out cold and poofed out of that plane.

'He must have substituted himself with one of my tortoises. The fiend!' With that, he jumped back up to where the fight was, and saw Sasuke charging, Chidori in hand towards his brother.

Using the last of his power boost from opening up the first gate, he bellowed "Dynamic Entry" expecting his foot to crush Itachi's face.

Sasuke saw his brother among a trio of tortoises, not looking in his direction and grinned to himself. He dropped his hand and charged at his brother, the purple lightning caused by the curse seal surrounding it. "Die, Itachi!" He yelled, expecting to impale his brother. However, Itachi turned around at the yell and caught Sasuke's hand a few inches away from his chest.

"Foolish little brother. You might have hit me if you had said nothing. You are still far too weak to ever hope to kill me. Perhaps you need a reminder…" Itachi revved up his Sharingan to Mangekyo Sharingan, expecting to put Sasuke into the world of Tsukuyomi, even though he already used it once that day. However, he noticed the foot of Gai flying towards him and prepared to dodge, and was startled to see he couldn't move. He quickly noticed his bound shadow, and saw it drawn from Shikamaru. The Nara mouthed something to him, and he was sent flying by the force of the kick.

Itachi knew when things were not in his and Kisame's favor at the moment. "Kisame!" He called out to his partner, who was in the process of dodging a fireball.

"What!"

"Retreat plan six."

"What! But I'm barely breaking a sweat."

"Soon, the numbers game will overwhelm us. The village's shinobi are too aware of out presence. We must leave while the fight is in our favor."

Kisame grimaced and turned to Kakashi. "You don't know who lucky you are, Copycat." With that, he formed the ram seal and shunshin'd away. Itachi was already gone. They were alone.

Sasuke was furious at missing the chance to kill his brother, and went to run off after him, but he was caught. Allowed to move somewhat, he realized it was Shikamaru holding him back.

"Let me go, Nara."

"You don't want to do that, Sasuke."

"LET ME GO, NARA!" Sasuke roared, but Shikamaru kept him still, using all his concentration so Sasuke didn't make the mistake of following them. Kakashi sighed at how his student was still obsessed over his brother, and Gai was furious that his fight with the older Uchiha had ended because of a most unyouthful retreat.

…

"Shunshin no Jutsu!" A puff of smoke appeared where Naruto had been standing, and a few seconds later he reappeared 500 feet in front of them, at the gate of the town they were staying at. Naruto gave a huge grin. "I did it! I learned the jutsu!"

Shin nodded. "I'm impressed. He did learn it."

Jiraiya huffed. "Maybe, but he shouldn't have to yell the name out to do the jutsu." He called out to Naruto in front of him. "Gaki! Dispel your clones that we left behind! No point of leaving them out there."

With a quick nod, Naruto did so. He blinked his eyes rapidly as memories of learning the leaf exercise came to him. His head didn't hurt too badly, it just felt like he had crammed for a few hours before the genin exam. Nothing too bad.

"Okay, so let's get some water balloons so I can learn that super awesome jutsu, Rasengan!" Naruto proudly exclaimed, causing Jiraiya to face palm.

"Damn gaki's gonna be the death of me."

Shin smiled. "Yeah, but at least he is willing to learn.

Jiraiya let out a sigh. "Yeah, that is a good thing." 'He's going to have to learn fast, or else it's game over for him."


	7. Chapter 7

I have no excuse for the delay. None whatsoever. It has been 111 days since I last updated. However, knowing me, I'm not sure I can promise it won't happen again. But to be fair, it wasn't like I was doing nothing! I had four new stories posted which are: Lost Idol (quite popular already), Second Chance (insanely popular) The Letter (could use some love) and New Eyes (Come on, please read this one. I like it a lot, but it got no love. I flipped the clans. Hinata is now an Uchiha who can get the sharingan. Sasuke is a Hyuga with the Byakugan, one of the last two. New reasons for a lot of things. Please read it!)

Begging aside, here is my next chapter which I hope you all enjoy. I took this weekend to pound it out, so it should be good. Please tell me if it is!

…..

"Okay, so I'm just suppose to pop the water balloon with my chakra? No problem!" Naruto proudly claimed.

The trio of travelers were currently on the outskirts of the town they had reached only an hour beforehand. In that hour, however, they already managed to reserve a hotel room and purchase the necessary training tools for Naruto. Jiraiya had explained and showed Naruto the first step to the Rasengan training, leading to Naruto's optimistic demeanor. Jiraiya snickered.

"Let's see about that. Make me ten of your kage bunshin, and we will begin." Jiraiya told his pupil. Naruto nodded and summoned the ten clones. Pointing to 6 of them, Jiraiya said, "Okay, you form in a line to my left." Looking at the other four, he pointed towards Shin. "You four, you will be working with Shin farther away. You will be mastering the Shunshin jutsu. You had good progress, but that is supposed to be a jutsu that you shouldn't have to yell the name of, get it?" The four bunshin nodded, deciding it wouldn't be that bad of a task. Naruto already thought highly of Shin as a sensei, so a little extra training would help. Plus, he thought to himself, he might be able to convince him to teach him a little swordsmanship. So, those four bunshin left with Shin to a place farther off with more open land to Shunshin in.

The real Naruto was curious at what the six bunshin would end up doing. He was surprised as Jiraiya started handing them water balloons. Soon all six were holding water balloons, and Naruto was mad.

"What the heck, Ero-sennin!" He yelled at his sensei. "How come my bunshin are doing the training for the Rasengan? Shouldn't I be learning it?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "Nope, Gaki, I have different plans for you today. But first, you six head off over there and practice. If you feel low on chakra, call out and tell me. Then disperse. Alrighty?" The six bunshin understood orders and marched fifty yards off and began to attempt to burst the balloons.

A frustrated Naruto looked up to his sensei. "Well, Ero-sennin? What am I gonna' be doing?"

Jiraiya casually turned to his student. "First off, stop calling me Ero-sennin, brat. Secondly we are going to spar. One-on-one. That means no bunshin. So get into your taijutsu stance, and let's begin."

Naruto smirked as he slid into his stance. "I'm gonna' whip your butt old man."

Jiraiya looked over his pupil's stance and shook his head. "Gaki, I don't think you could whip a civilian's butt fighting like that. Who taught you?"

Naruto was offended by that statement. "Hey, I taught myself! I can kick ass with it too! Don't underestimate me!"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Of course you taught it to yourself. Didn't Kakashi say anything about it to you?"

Naruto put his eyes towards the ground. "He said it stunk, but I could make it work since I am really strong and can outlast most people." His eyes shot up. "But I beat Neji with it, so it can't be that bad, can it?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "It does stink, badly. I didn't think you were actually this bad off. I can already tell you are only able to survive this long in a fight due to the swarm tactic you like to use. An academy student might be able to beat you up, which is sad."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I'll show you what stinks, which is you!" Naruto rushed the Sannin, and was flat on his back three seconds later, face shoved in the ground.

Jiraiya held his head down as he spoke. "Naruto, your taijutsu sucks. Accept it. However, as your super awesome sensei, I am here to fix that. Now, we are going to go over the basic stances first, and how you move in them." He heard a mumble as a reply, so he lifted Naruto's face out of the ground. "What was that?"

Naruto spit the dirt out of his mouth, and asked. "Shouldn't I be using my kage bunshin then, if I suck as bad as you say, which I don't!"

Jiraiya shook his head. "Nope. First off, you need to be able to take on an opponent on your own, and secondly, you are already going to have a headache tonight from all of the knowledge you will be getting from your clones, why should I make your body sorer than it will already be?" A knowing smile was on his face. With his other hand, Jiraiya pulled up Naruto to his feet. Releasing him, Jiraiya turned serious. "Now gaki, we got a few hours before sunset, so wipe off that dirt and get ready to work harder than you ever have in your life."

Despite hating Ero-sennin at that moment, Naruto couldn't help but smile. It might suck right now, but if the pervert could teach him to fight like that, he would be getting strong in no time.

…

Sasuke was pissed.

That wasn't exactly a revolutionary statement, but he was still pissed.

His brother had been in Konoha. His brother had been in reach. And he was stopped because of Shikamaru. The lazy ass Nara, the one who somehow had been promoted to Chunin, had trapped him and prevented him from chasing down his brother and exacting revenge on his brother, or die trying.

Someone had the genius idea of having Shikamaru watch over Sasuke while the jounin's scoured the perimeter for any signs of the duo of invaders. They were stuck in an empty hospital room for the time being. So Sasuke was scheming of ways to escape from the damned Nara and find his brother while Shikamaru relaxed on the bed..

Suddenly, he heard Shikamaru sighed. "Look, you can try all you want, you are staying here with me. So stop planning to knock me out or whatever and calm down."

The final two words set off Sasuke. "Calm down? Calm down? You want me to calm down? Itachi is out there, free, while I'm stuck in here, being watched by some lazy ass. Plus, my brother was investigating Naruto, Naruto of all people! Why would he want him?"

Shikamaru sighed. Again. "Troublesome. I could tell you, but what's the point?"

Sasuke raised his eyebrow. What would the Nara know? Then he remembered what Naruto had wanted done, putting the Nara on his council for some reason. Would that mean he knew?

"You know? How come you know and I don't! I was there yesterday, I know everything, so why don't I know?"

Shikamaru rose his eyebrow. "You were. You were at the council meeting?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yes! I made the deciding vote!" He was going to force this information from Shikamaru.

Shikamaru looked around, making sure they were alone in the room they had been escorted too."So the Godaime is…"

"The dobe, yeah. Now, tell me what I'm missing."

Shikamaru frowned, and muttered to himself his catchphrase. Then, directed towards the Uchiha, Shikamaru spoke. "Did they tell you about his little…fox problem?" Shikamaru tentatively asked, and wasn't surprised when Sasuke nodded. "Alright, so apparently a group of people want something to do with it, and maybe even other things like it, like the one Gaara had." Sasuke shuttered as recalled the demon he had watched Naruto beat. "And one of those members is your brother, and that fish guy. From what I figure, your brother is now after Naruto for the fox."

Sasuke eyes went wide. "My brother is chasing Naruto for it? Do you think he will try and follow him on his search for his Tsunade women?" Sasuke was tense, and it was obvious for Shikamaru to read what he wanted to do.

"Look, if you try and chase down Naruto in case your brother attacks him, that would be stupid. You would be leading them right to him. It would be better if you just stay here and train. You want to kill your brother, right? Stick around Naruto, and you will have your chance."

Shikamaru also knew about the curse seal, and the purposes Orochimaru had for Sasuke, and he thought this was a perfect way to keep him in Konoha. If he knew where his brother was coming, why would he want to leave? He would always want to be nearby, so when his brother made a move, he would have a chance to kill him. It was a perfect strategy, considering what he had to go on.

Sasuke nodded. "Fine, I won't go after Itachi. Can I go now?"

"And do what?" Shikamaru asked, fairly sure of his response.

"Train." Sasuke predictably said.

Shikamaru thought about it, and decided it would be too troublesome to try and stop him. "Fine, sure, just don't go looking around for your brother. No offense, but you aren't ready to face him. And you do want to kill him, right?"

Sasuke frowned, but gave a single nod to Shikamaru's statement. Sasuke then left out the window, much to Shikamaru's relief. Maybe he could get some relief…

"Shikamaru? Where's Sasuke-kun? Are you two okay?" Scratch that. Damn blondes…

Sasuke had no idea where he was going, but he knew where he wanted to be. He felt a power coming from that Danzo man, an aura that told him he could give him the strength he needed to defeat Itachi, even more than Kakashi ever could. He muttered aloud, loud enough for a nearby teammate to hear, "Where could you be, Danzo?"

The teammate came into view immediately. "Hello, Quacky!"

…

"Better, much better. You are getting control of how far you want to go, and you have stopped calling out the name of the jutsu when you are using it. I think that is a good set for today. You don't want to fry Hokage-sama's brains, now do you?" Shin applauded the bunshin for the two hours of hard work they had put in. The bunshin, however, were not as pleased.

"Come on, Shin-sensei, didn't Boss tell you to stop calling him Hokage-sama? Not until he gets the hat, at least." The least tired of the clones told him.

Shin frowned at his mistake. "Ah, yes, I am sorry. It is just, I was taught to always call your superiors by their proper title. And you are Hokage-sama, so it is only natural to call you Hokage-sama." Shin explained to the bunshin.

The bunshin rolled his eyes. "Whatever. So, we aren't ready to pop yet and Boss was wondering if you could teach us how to fight with a sword?"

Shin looked surprise. "You want to learn the art of the sword?"

Naruto-bunshin nodded. "Well yeah, swords are cool. We remember, one time in the Land of Waves, we fought this really tough swordsman called Zabuza, who-"

Shin stopped him. "Wait, you fought Momochi Zabuza?"

The bunshin let out a smile. "Kinda. My team and Kakashi-sensei fought against him and his student, Haku. Kakashi more fought Zabuza, though Boss had to save Kakashi once from being trapped by Zabuza. Though in the end, Kakashi-sensei beat him, his sword was so awesome! It could kick some serious ass! Boss asked Kakashi-sensei about it, and it said it could repair itself by the blood of your enemies! If it wasn't so sick, it would be so cool!"

Shin was now interested. "And what happened to the sword, after your sensei defeated him?"

"Well, we left it at the grave we buried him in."

Shin was surprised. "You buried him? You know he was worth 18 million ryo, the bounty on him was that large. The sword alone is probably worth a few million ryo"

The bunshin eyes went wide, but then he shrugged his shoulders. "Wow, that's a lot. But Zabuza was a good guy after all, he killed this slimy businessman Gato before he died, and he actually did care about his student, especially after Haku saved his life. He taught him that ninja's are just emotionless, disposable tools, but Boss doesn't think that's right. Boss even says he is gonna make his own way of the ninja, one that is more right!"

Shin was surprised by this adamant belief, as Zabuza taught in the same way Lord Danzo taught. But Lord Danzo supported a Hokage who disagreed with his teaching methods. It was most curious. Who was right, his Lord, or his Hokage?

The bunshin broke him out of his thoughts. "So, can you teach us how to fight with a sword?" He asked, all four bunshin pleading with their eyes.

Shin inspected the bunshin, and made a surprising statement. "No."

The bunshin were shocked, and immediately launched into complaints, but Shin stopped them. "I do not think the sword is the right choice for you. One who masters the sword needs to be well-disciplined and rigid. You, Hokage-sama, are more free-flowing and wild. You would do more damage to yourself then to your opponent."

The head bunshin was mad. "That stinks! Come on, can't you show us anything cool? You owe us!"

Shin knew that he didn't owe them anything in actuality, but he felt generous and decided to teach them another trick he knew from studying with Danzo. "Fine then. Do you have any kunai on you right now?"

The four bunshin were surprised, but one was especially quick to recover and check. "Yeah, we do."

Shin looked them over, and pointed to the two worst off ones. "You two, disperse. You are too tired and would only slow your own progress." The two grumbled, but listened. Shin noticed the two bunshin still there were a bit better off. Keeping that in his mind, just like he was going to keep the conversation they just had in mind, he drew out the fuma shuriken he kept on him at all times.

"Tell me, bunshin, what do you know about chakra threads?"

Elsewhere, a slightly rejuvenated Naruto was being beaten into proper stances. They were on their final set for the day after two hours. Jiraiya knew that it would take a few weeks of doing this before Naruto was set fundamentally in taijutsu, but it would be well worth it. With his natural speed and strength, an army of well trained fighters at his disposal would be a threat that could keep many a foe at bay from Konoha's walls. Reminding himself of his toad sensei, stick in hand, he swatted at the left leg of Naruto.

"It is off center, Naruto. You need to center your foot, or else your opponent will be able to lead you in a battle, to terrain they prefer."

Grumbling, but tired of the stick blows, he centered his foot. Holding the stance, he felt a light tap to his right elbow.

"Arm up a bit higher, so it is easier to extend with full force." Naruto followed the demented sage's (in his mind) orders. Then, the demented man spoke. "Left punch. Right punch. Left knee. Right boot."

Naruto was quick to follow the instructions of blow selection. He threw a left punch,, meant to attack the right side of a person's face and force them to go right, into the right punch aiming for the temple, in which they would duck down into his left knee, and as they rise up to avoid such a blow, they open the abdomen to a well placed kick that could crush a rib, rupture a organ, or simply just give the fighter some room to cast a jutsu. Naruto didn't see the intricacy of this set, one of the hundreds he needed to learn to ever fully master taijutsu in the mindset of Maito Gai, but simply knew it was what Jiraiya told him to do. Jiraiya saw Naruto's body naturally follow this progression, even if it was inaccurate, and was somewhat pleased. Deciding to spare the rod, he gave a simple nod. "Reset." Naruto immediately went back into the form he had been in, hoping it was properly done. He shifted his feet just so, and remember to clench his fist only so tight. Jiraiya was pleased at the progress.

"Good work, Naruto. Now, I want to see a right roundhouse, left head kick, right palm strike." Naruto quickly performed the combination, so Jiraiya nodded slowly as he performed them. Deciding they were close enough, Jiraiya decided to test Naruto on what he learned.

"Stance two, combo one."

Naruto looked shocked at the request. "You expect me to remember that?"

"Yes," Jiraiya put it bluntly, "you will be expected to remember dozens of combinations of taijutsu's set to execute in combat, along with the simple need of memorization your future position dictates. Now, try and remember stance two, combo one."

Slowly and hesitantly Naruto slid into the attack position he thought was stance two. In a stance based on being able to move, he kept his hands high for the ability to quickly attack. Then, taking his best guess, he launched a three punch combo that seemed right to him.

However, Jiraiya just shook his head. "That was stance three, and combo two for stance one. Stance two is the defensive minded stance that relies on kicks and sweeps. Combo one is a double roundhouse kick, followed by a leg sweep and than a crane kick." Naruto huffed, thinking how ridiculous Jiraiya was being in teaching him jutsu. However, Naruto wouldn't say this aloud. Naruto knew not to argue with success.

The six bunshin working on the Rasengan were getting very frustrated. Actually, only four of them were currently working on the Rasengan. The other two had rage popped their balloons onto the ground, and were now discussing the virtues of different ramen flavors, and which should become the official flavor of Konoha. It was actually a very interesting conversation, attracting the attention of three of the bunshin. One bunshin, however, was fully focused on the task at hand. He had tried many different methods of popping the balloons with his chakra, and he was currently on a method he thought was very successful.

The balloon threatened to fly out of his hands as he spun the chakra in the balloon. It bulged out in the middle, and seemed to have the best chance of making the damned balloon pop. He was concentrating so much, he don't notice the bunshin walking up behind him, slapping him on the back. Surprised, the balloon fell out of his hand and popped on the floor. Growling, he turned back to the bunshin who had disturbed his progress.

"Hey, what do you think-" The bunshin never got the chance to finish the question as the angry bunshin decked him, popping him from existence. From across the field, the boss called out.

"Oi, stop fighting over there, and get back to work."

The bunshin didn't hear the argument that went on between Jiraiya and the boss. Suddenly, the boss called out. "Boys, dispel!" Grumbling, the bunshin listened to his boss. He thought he was so damn close to figuring it out. At least boss would know what he knew. The bunshin dispelled from existence, giving Naruto the first part of the first step of learning the Rasengan. Naruto was pleased by this information.

…

Hinata Hyuga was extremely worried. Her and her teammates had last seen their sensei when she went off to confront the evil Uchiha brother and an infamous Swordsman, and hadn't heard anything all day. Beyond that, the duo were chasing Naruto of all people. She couldn't help but wonder why they were chasing Naruto. She knew he was strong, he had managed to defeat her cousing Neji and that scary Sand genin, but why would it make him a target of bad men like that? She feared for Naruto's well-being, her only comfort for her objection of affection and idol was that he was with a Sannin, someone incredibly strong, looking for another Sannin. If anyone could take on people like them, it were the two Sannin. It was only this thought that allowed her to focus on the self-practice her and her team had done on the training grounds that day, the first day of real training she had been allowed since she had been miraculously healed on the day of the Sound attack. In the hospital, she had been thinking up a technique, one that would allow the Jyuuken to extend its reach. One of the longest held problems of the Hyuga's feared style was that it demanded that your opponent be up close to you, and Hinata wanted to prove her strength by eliminating such a restriction. She figured if she did that, her father would become proud of her.

However, since Neji's fight with Naruto, she had been thinking of a separate technique, one that was similar to the Kaiten, but less exhaustive of your chakra. It was nigh impossible for a female Hyuga to effectively use the Hyuga trademark defenseive maneuver to its fullest capabilities due to their lesser reserves, but Hinata wanted to change that as well. She wanted to prove her strength to the two people that most influenced her, her father and Naruto.

So her first day of failure had come, but she still had hope. Her father had once told her, when she was in his best graces, about how he learned from an old teammate, the Yondaime Hokage's wife of all people, that it took the Yondaime three years to create his legendary Rasengan jutsu. So one day of failure did not perturb her. So, she was now in her families compound, focused on worrying about the well-being of her sensei. Eventually, an female member of the Branch family told her to go to her father's study. Hinata was quick to reach it, having to avoid two people she recognized as member's of the civilian council on the way who gave her an odd look. She reached the study, but was surprised to see her father waiting outside of it, an ANBU on his left.

He spoke up. "Hinata, do you know where your sensei went today?"

Hinata nodded solemnly. "Hai, she w-went to fight the traitor Uchiha and one of the S-seven Swordsman of the Mist."

Hiashi gave a short nod, pleased as it would make this situation easier. "During the course of this fight, Itachi Uchiha cast a rare Uchiha genjutsu onto her, one that it known to torture the mind. She is currently hospitalized and only being allowed a few visitors at this time, you and your teammates included. Do you wish to visit your sensei now?"

Hinata's eyes went wide and was quick to nod, not trusting her voice as it would break terribly if she spoke. All her worries for Naruto had shifted to her loving, mother-like sensei, and if she would be alright.

Hiashi looked his daughter over. "As what you are wearing is acceptable, please follow the ANBU to your sensei's hospital room. I expect you back at the compound within two hours. Understand?"

Hinata nodded again, and managed to squeak out a loud whisper. "Hai!"

Hiashi turned to the ANBU. "I trust you to get her there safely." It was a statement more than a question, and Hiashi returned to his study.

The ANBU watched Hiashi enter the study, and then looked back to Hinata. "Follow me, Hinata-sama." Hinata quickly did so, making good time to the hospital. However, they were the last to arrive. Already in the room was Asuma, Anko, Kiba, and Shino.

Hinata was quick to rush to the bedside, and look upon the seemingly sleeping form of her sensei. She turned to Asuma. "Asuma-sensei, is s-she alright?" Her face showed her hope and fear.

Asuma shook his head slowly. "Whatever that damned Uchiha did to her, it is hurting her bad. She hasn't woke up, and the doctors don't want her too. They said she will need quite a bit of sensitive healing to safely bring her out. They are saying they don't have anyone here capable of doing the job. Heck, I heard one person claim no one but Tsunade could heal her."

Surprising everyone, Hinata let out a sigh of relief. Seeing their puzzled looks, Hinata explained. "I s-saw N-naruto-kun this morning. He said th-that he was off with J-jiraiya-sama to find h-her." She had learned the goal of the mission from the two gate guards, and was especially happy now for that lucky coincidence.

Asuma's eyes went wide, but then looked back to Kurenai and let himself smile. He turned to Hinata. "Well, that's good to hear. I just hope it doesn't take too long…"

Anko, still worried about her friend, couldn't give up the opportunity to tease Asuma. "It's alright, loverboy. Kurenai is real tough, no way she would let something like an Uchiha take her down, especially with a genjutsu."

Asuma only nodded. "You're right, Anko. She wouldn't."

Anko was a little bit surprised. "What, no denial, loverboy?"

Asuma shook his head. "No, this made me see that life is too precious to just wait around for a sign. When she wakes up, I'm gonna ask her out."

Anko smirked. "Finally, you guys have been dancing around each other for months. I was gonna stick a viper on you if you didn't hurry up and ask her."

Not focusing on the conversation of Asuma and Anko, Hinata went to speak with Shino and Kiba.

Kiba was scratching the top of Akamaru's head. "Man, I hope Kurenai-sensei is going to be alright. And I'm gonna kick that Itachi guy's ass for hurting her! No one messes with my pack and gets away with it!" He boldly claimed, making Hinata feel a bit better. Though it was nothing like Naruto's, Kiba's confidence helped her too.

Shino, however, rained on his parade. "Kiba, as much as I agree with your sentiments, I do not believe it would be advantageous of you to attack Itachi Uchiha. One who is capable of slaying a clan on ninjas in silence in one night is well beyond your abilities at the moment."

This made Kiba growl more. "I don't care! That just means I have to train more to kick that clan-killing, traitor ass!"

Hinata only nodded. "H-hai but, I w-wonder why he w-was after Naruto-kun."

Kiba stopped to think. "Oh yeah, you know I was wondering about that earlier. Why would they want a baka like him."

Hinata was quick to defend him however. "Naruto-kun is no baka!" She declared, and immediately 'eeped!' to her own boldness.

Shino visibly rose an eyebrow, but couldn't help but agree. "True, Naruto is not the dead last he once was. His ability to defeat you and Neji, along with what I have heard from Shikamaru, his defeat of Gaara, his abilities are quite impressive."

Kiba frowned. "Come on, he beat me with a fart! A freakin' fart! How is that impressive?" Shino didn't respond.

However, Hinata had a new goal. Those two men were after Naruto for a reason, something very important. Why else did Asuma and Kurenai jump so quickly to catch them when Sakura told them about their attempts toward Naruto? She needed to find out this reason. Off-handedly, she wondered if it had anything to do with why so many people didn't like Naruto in the village. She nodded to herself, making a promise to herself. She would find out why they were after Naruto. And Hinata Hyuga kept her promises.

…

Sasuke was officially weirded out. After leaving from the hospital room, he had expected to be able to go out and train. However, he had managed to run into the most annoying person he had ever met, even more annoying than Naruto, his new teammate Sai. How was he annoying? Sasuke could list the ways with ease.

First off, his nickname. He had asked why he was called Quacky, and Sai told him that he had watched him and Sakura this morning (the guy crept him out as well. Who watches someone without telling them? Elsewhere, Kiba was telling Hinata "Kami bless you" as she rubbed her nose) and had decided on nicknames for them both. He tried to get him to call him by his name, but then he called him ballless. He attempted to attack his teammate, but then he drew up these weird ink lions and they attacked him. He wasn't really sure what to do in such a situation, and had toasted them with a fireball. Then, the guy started asking stupid question, like what was his favorite color, saying he wanted to get to know him better. It was all annoying, and the spar he fought with the guy was worse. He kept bugging him throughout it with his comments, and that was what had allowed him to win. Those and those drawings, they were never ending! Sasuke didn't want to admit it to himself, but it was a strong ability. Then they guy just leaves. Leaves, says he will be at the meeting spot tomorrow. He didn't know what to think about that, as it had just been a waster of time in his eyes, he had no leads on this Danzo man. He determined he would just ask Kakashi-sensei about where he could find the man tomorrow. He just wanted to relax in his private bath, but there was a single obstacle.

"Sasuke-kun, are you alright? I haven't seen you all day! What happened?"

Sasuke huffed. "I found my brother. He escaped me. I'm alright." He said, trying to ignore the girl who had actually followed him into his compound.

"Well, do you know why they are chasing Naruto?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke lied. "No." There was no reason for Sakura to know the truth at the moment

"Is everyone else alright?" Sakura was simply bugging him at the moment. He stopped in the middle of the road and glared at her.

"Look, Sakura, leave me alone right now. Get it? Go find someone else to bother right now." He then turned away from her, and began to walk away.

"I just…wanted to know." He could hear the hurt in her voice, but he didn't turn around. He had an urge that he squashed, but he went to his living residence and began to wash up.

Sakura walked dejectedly out of the Uchiha compound, unsure of what to do. She walked home, still worried about Naruto and everyone else.

Sai returned to Lord Danzo, and gave a report on Sasuke's abilities. His official review was that, while he needed emotional training, he would be a fine candidate for ROOT.

…

Naruto yawned loudly. He was dressed in his sleeping clothes, and had put on his walrus cap that he had remembered to pack. He was lying down on the bed, having gotten one of the two. He nearly apologized to Shin, who was on the floor, but decided against it. He never remembered being this tired, but then he remembered the twenty or so clones he had used for training and figured he had collected their exhaustion. He was going to enjoy every second of sleep he got tonight, since he would have a full day tomorrow. He though he had made a lot of progress today, and figured he would have even more today. He had managed to learn a jutsu in one day, and was on his way of figuring out a second one. He was getting shown a cool trick from Shin that he could use to make his weapons deadlier. And his taijutsu was going to be getting better. He just couldn't wait to use it to kick Ero-sennin's ass.

As such, his mind drifted to other topics. His mind wandered to Sakura, and a question came to him. Could a Hokage date a genin? Or would he have to date someone closer to his level, like a jounin? He would have to ask. Maybe, if he was Hokage, Sakura would finally date him! Then again, part of him knew that, if she was dating him only because he was Hokage, he really shouldn't want to date her. He wanted someone to date him for him. He just hoped Sakura would see that someday…

His mind then wondered to Shikamaru, and the upcoming war on Otogakure he was planning. He knew keeping such a giant idea from Jiraiya was a bad idea, but he didn't want it to get it by accident before it could be done. And Jiraiya liked to get drunk, and might spill the beans. So he just hoped Shikamaru, with his free pass to all information on the land ,would have a good invasion plan for when he came back.

His mind landed finally on his father. A day removed from the situation, and he still wasn't sure what to think. Half of him wanted to hug his father, the other half wanted to deck him. Half of him was happy, half of him was mad. His father had cursed him, but did it to save the village. Naruto knew that his father did nothing wrong, but why did it hurt so much? Naruto had no answer as fell asleep.

…..

End of chapter comments-

Kurenai did escape, but Kakashi had the Sharingan to attempt to block the sensation, so I think they even out in the end. Therefore, Kurenai will need Tsunade's healing to recover

Just to make sure everyone knows, the Rookie 9 are all 13 at this time.

In case you are wondering, Naruto's conflict with his father will not be resolved anytime soon, it will be many chapters before his final opinion is formed.

Finally, I really am not an expert at fighting, so if my analysis sucks on stances and whatnot, I apologize. It's all guesswork for me.


	8. Chapter 8

So, yeah, sorry about the delay of this chapter. I promise I will try to not let it be months before another update for this story is done. I tried to do as much as I could as fast as I could, but I can only go so fast on the tablet I could use over my winter break. So I hope you all like the newest chapter of The Hat Hangs Heavy.

...

Day two of Hokage training began with a ridiculously early start, in Naruto's humble opinion, and an unfairly small breakfast. Naruto made his complaints known to his perverted sensei, but Jiraiya waved it off.

"Look gaki, consider it motivation. The better you do in our training today, the quicker you can get lunch, and the more I will be willing to contribute to pay for it. Understand?"

Naruto looked at his sensei in a huff, and gave a reluctant nod. "Fine, Ero-sennin. So what is the plan for today? More rasengan and taijutsu training?"

Jiraiya shook his head, but stopped himself. "Well, you are going to have rasengan training everyday pretty much until you learn it, but today I have other plans. Make me some clones and I will split them up."

Naruto acquiesced to his sensei's wish and threw his hands together into a cross, calling out the name of his signature jutsu. Immediately 13 more Naruto's appeared besides the original. Jiraiya looked over the gaggle of Naruto's and began to separate them into groups.

Jiraiya herded 7 of the clones into one group, reaching into the bag he had brought with him. He handed them each a water balloon, signalling that they were to be training to finish the first stage of the rasengan. He left the bag there telling the clones, "If one of you accidentally pop your water balloons, replacements are here."

"If we manage to pop the balloons like how you want, then what should we do?"Asked an especially ambitious clone.

Jiraiya let out a small chuckle. "Gaki, if you can finish it today, take the day off. Even with all your helpers, I expect to take a week or so to do this, not a day and a half." With those words, the sage incited them to try and finish the first step it that very day.

Jiraiya moved onto the first trio of clones he had grouped together. " You three will be working with Shin to finish the Shunshin. He said it shouldn't take too long, but you need help with Shunshining vertically." The clones were alright with this, and hoped that they would be able to get the same extra lessons that they had gotten the day before. Shin didn't mind either, as it helped him with the goals Lord Danzo had set for him.

Jiraiya then mimicked the earlier jutsu of his student, creating a shadow clone of himself. The double motioned to the other trio of clones. "You three will be working with me on a very important skill that you have neglected." He told them, prompting the question by them about what it was. In response, all the Jiraiya clone did was give a evil grin that unsettled the clones.

Finally, the original Naruto and Jiraiya were left. The sage pointed to his student before proclaiming, "And you, gaki, will be coming with me to help you better understand information gathering and such. Get it? Got it? Good, now follow me." Without letting him get in a word, he dragged off his student into town. The clone Jiraiya then looked at the rest of the Naruto clones and motioned them to get to work. The rasengan clones quickly did, and Shin led his off to do his teaching. Satisfied, the clone beckoned his students away to start their lesson of the day. The unnoticed beady eye in the brush were uncertain of who to follow, but eventually decided to watch the rasengan clones, as they were learning the most potent technique.

The originals made their way into town, as Naruto was fairly confused. "How can we gather information this early in the morning, huh Ero-Sennin?"

The toad sage waved off his pupil's worries. " It is never too early to get information. Actually, this is one of the best times of day, if you know where to look." Naruto watched as he was led by his sensei through the town. As they walked, an important question came to mind.

"Wait, if I'm going to be at the chair all day, why do I need to learn this type of stuff. I mean, I understand getting stronger and stuff because I will have to protect the village and all, but won't I never really use this?"

Jiraiya let himself smile. "Oh how ignorant you are, gaki. You will need to understand how to do things like this, because you need to understand how things are done so you know what to expect from people. If we ignore it, you will have no appreciation of it, so you won't understand if a person did a fantastic job or a shitty one. And with arts as delicate as this, that could mean a safe village or a village under siege." Naruto understood it, sort of.

"Then you are saying I need to know it to be sure others are doing it right?" Naruto summed up Jiraiya's explanation.

He nodded. "Right. Anything else you need explained?" He was hoping there wasn't, but was wrong. However, it wasn't about info gathering.

"Just one thing. Why do you think this Tsunade chick will be a councillor for me? I mean, she isn't in the village, so she must retired or something. And she doesn't have to accept, so why will she?"

"Well, first off, she ain't retired. Sensei let her run off about eleven years ago with her apprentice."

"Why?" Naruto quickly interjected.

Jiraiya gave him a look of annoyance. "As I was about to explain, she had a lot of problems with the village. If she trusts you, she will explain. She would send me to kingdom come if I told you specifics. Anyway, my plan is simple. You tell her to come back, she says no, you say you will name her a missing-nin, she calls your bluff, you make it official, she will say she is retired probably and can't be named a missing-nin, you say you are calling her back to active service, you can do that by the way, probably by now her apprentice will break and say she will return, and Tsunade will be close to breaking. Then, say it will only be until you are 18, and then she can retire. Throw in paying her gambling debts and she will say yes."

"Gambling debts?"

Jiraiya let himself snicker. "Yup. Combine a gambling addiction with the worst luck for it in the world. Got herself the nickname The Legendary Sucker."

Naruto let himself think about the plan and what he was told and frowned. "That really doesn't sound too right or honorable."

Jiraiya shrugged. "Then go be a samurai. Look, honor is nice and all, but ninjas can't afford to get hung up on it. As a leader, you will have to do things you won't find 'honorable', but will need to do for the best of the village. In fact, you will probably do quite a few things you don't like. Sometimes you will send a team out knowing that they won't all come back, but they are the best suited to fulfill the mission. Like what sensei did, with the Hyuga clan, that Neji kid explained to you about. He could have said no to Kumo, but that would have been dumb. One life, no matter how innocent, is worth the cost of stopping a war, where hundreds will die."

Naruto scowled. "I don't like that one bit."

Jiraiya couldn't help but agree. "I don't either, but who knows." His mind wandered to what the old toad had prophesied. "Maybe, someday, you can do something about it." He motioned Naruto to stop. "Here we are, our first stop."

Naruto looked at the building, and at the area, and raised an eyebrow. "Why are we at some crummy diner?"

Jiraiya simply smirked. "This crummy diner is where we will most likely find the best people for information at this hour."

"And that is?" Naruto asked him, curious.

Jiraiya gave him a big grin. "Working girls, coming off their shifts." Then, with a bound, Jiraiya entered the diner. Naruto, who knew what he was talking about, just let out a long sigh.

…

"Kaiten, do you have any idea where Kakashi-sensei is?" Sakura gritted her teeth at the replacement Naruto. She didn't know how the heck it happened, but they managed to find someone more annoying and offensive than Naruto. She would have much rather prefer Naruto and his questioning for a date. He at least had a valid reason to be so annoying. She wasn't sure why Sasuke hadn't fallen for her charms yet, but she was certain he was breaking.

With Naruto on the brain, her mind wandered to yesterday's events. A "full" debriefing had gone down, and she was extremely worried for Naruto. She was curious to why those type of people would be chasing the knucklehead, but she could only hope he was alright. Despite everything, he was a friend, and Sakura didn't want a friend to get hurt, especially in the same vein as Kurenai-sensei did, who was in a coma from what she understood.

"No, Sai, we don't. We just wait here for him to show up."

Sai cocked his eyebrow. "Would it not be better to do training while he waits?"

Surprisingly, Sasuke shook his head. "No, we don't know what he will have us do, so it is better to conserve energy." He logically explained to the near emotionless boy.

Sai paused for a moment to run that through his cranial filters and nodded. "That does make a level of sense. Thank you, Quacky."

Sasuke flinched, and looked over to Sakura, happy to see she disliked this kid nearly as much as he did. He had never hoped so hard in his life that Kakashi would show up. And, by some Uchiha miracle, he appeared casually strolling up to them, orange book having his full attention. He offhandedly waved to his pupils. "It is good to see you two are well rested after yesterday's excitement." He quipped, his eyes never leaving the page. "And you must be Naruto's replacement. If I remember correctly, you name is… Sai?"

Sai nodded. "Correct, sensei."

He closed his book for the moment. "Alright, Sai. Well, if we are going to be a team for the time being, I think it would be a good time for a bonding and teamwork exercise." Placing his book away, he replaced it in his hand with a pair of bells.

Sai looked at his teammates oddly as they groaned. "I do not get it. Am I missing something?"

The only indication of Kakashi's smile was his exposed eye. "What we are about to do has been handed down the generations, from my sensei from his sensei from his sensei and from his sensei. The bell test. The three of you are going to be working together and trying to take the bells from me. Normally, all you would have to do is figure out that you have to work together, but as those two already know this, you must actually take the bells from me this time." He attached the bells to his belt, and pulled out a timer. "As it is about…ten thirty, I will give you until one to succeed."

"Do we get a reward for succeeding, sensei?" Sai asked, remembering the tests Danzo gave, where one would be rewarded a scroll meant to advance one's abilities.

"Well, you should be rewarded enough by showing you can work with your teammates." Glares by Sasuke and Sakura went unnoticed. "But I will also add in the reward of lunch on me." A small smile from Sakura and a faint smirk from Sasuke were dashed by Kakashi's next words. "Failure, however means no lunch, and the Tora mission. Now, begin!"

The trio of genin vanished within moments, giving Kakashi an opportunity to take out his book and start reading again. The three genin ended up gathered behind the treeline. Sai was the first to speak.

"So, Quacky, Kaiten, what would you like to do to defeat sensei?"

Sakura couldn't help but think that she could afford to skip a meal.

…

A conference of the clones was going on, attempting to determine the best way to complete the first stage of the rasengan.

"Maybe we need to make spikes with out chakra?" One clone said. "You know, to pop the balloon."

"What about we try spinning it north to south, instead of east to west." Another guessed.

"How about going west to east?" A third commented.

The self designated top clone calmed them down. "Fine, how about we each try our own way of doing things? If one of these things works, then the better for the boss it is."

Six bunshin split up, each with their own method of popping. The seventh, a more contemplative one, had a different thought. He knew the rasengan was supposed to be like a perfect circle, a ball in his hand, much like the water balloon in his hand at the moment. He also remembered that when the balloon had come popping the closest to popping the other day, it looked almost flat. He was slightly confused by this discrepancy, and attempted to solve it with Naruto logic.

_So, we have to pop the balloon, but for us to complete the jutsu, it will end up being a ball. But why does it have to be a ball shape? Why not a cyclone? It could be really strong like that. But maybe the Yondaime tried that, and it didn't work. Ero-sennin probably would have tried to, and decided a ball was the best way to hit somebody. I guess it make sense. I mean, wind can be strong, but it can't send you fifty feet like something solid like a really really strong punch can. Okay, so it will be in a ball. I guess we have to pop the balloon to show how strong it is, I mean, if I can't pop a balloon, how could it cut down a tree so quickly? But we need it to be in a ball. And if they are all trying to pop the balloon, and Boss gets our memories, than I should try something different. I should try to make it into a ball. But how can I do that with a water balloon? Well, maybe…maybe… so when I try to put a lot of chakra into it the balloon kinda bulges, so what if I put a lot of chakra into it, but try to make it not bulge! Yeah, that's what I'll do!_

With his train of thought complete and mission set, the oddball seventh clone unknowingly began the third step of Rasengan training. If Jiraiya knew he had skipped a step, he would have both been happy for his thinking and mad at his slight disobeying of orders.

The Jiraiya bunshin, on the other hand was having fun. Currently, the trio of Naruto's he had under his disposal were attempting to break out of the genjutsu he had set on them. All reports were that he stunk with the art, so Jiraiya had decided a crash course on the subject was needed. At the moment, each Naruto were dealing with a different type of genjutsu, all of the C-Rank variety.

Naruto A was smelling a horrible stench that he couldn't shake no matter what. IT was a combination of spoiled milk, rotten ramen, and the excessive perfume Ino wore sometimes. He wanted to gag.

Naruto B was hearing moans and groans that were scaring the hell out of him. He was certain that it was ghosts, but he couldn't see him. That was the point of ghosts, though. He was ready to try and fight them off.

Naruto C had the worst fate. He kept seeing random men walking from one end to the the other end of the field. They never spoke to him, or acknowledged him, but what they did was much worse. They had forgotten their clothes.

All of them were under the guise of weight training, each wearing 5 pound weights on their arms and legs. They would have little actual effect on Naruto, the original, but he just needed some exercise that would distract them from the real goal.

Naruto C was the first to go fetal. He tried to block out the images, but he simply saw them go through his head again and again. He had no idea why there were so many naked men, just walking across the field. He had seen a few multiple times, like a red headed Neji look-alike and a fat Gai-sensei, and was recognizing more. A male version of Hinata, a midget Iruka. In fact, Naruto C began to question why they are were familiar faces, and why they seemed to be looping. The word looping brought him back to the Chunin Exams, and what the ninjas from Ame had done to them. A genjutsu?

Naruto C forced himself to remember how Iruka-sensei had taught him to break genjutsu's. Then, putting his hands into the proper seal, he pumped a lot of chakra into them and shouted. "Release." But nothing happened.

Suddenly, he heard Jiraiya talking. "So you finally figured it out? Took you long enough. Wonder what you saw? And, by the way, you have to repress and stop your chakra flow before you do the burst."

Naruto C growled. "Stick a kunai where the sun don't shine, Ero-sennin." He proceeded to attempt to do what Jiraiya had suggested, taking two tries to finally release the genjutsu.

About the same time, Naruto A realized it was a genjutsu and the process repeated itself. A few minutes later, Naruto B caught on. Finally, all three clones had escaped the genjutsu. The three clones had looked at one another and, with a nod, attempted to jump the Jiraiya clone. However, a smoke bomb was deployed, and the three clones found themselves under a new scenario. A was seeing naked girls this time, B was smelling ramen, and C was listening to somebody that sounded suspiciously like Jiraiya yodeling.

The Jiraiya bunshin was happy to note it took a third of the time it took the first try for them to break the genjutsu, and without any advice from him. After a second smoke bomb, Jiraiya casted B-rank genjutsu's on the clone, seeing how they would handle those.

"Well, I believe I can say, Naruto-san, that you have officially mastered the Shunshin no Jutsu." Elsewhere, Shin spoke to the two (an accident destroyed one of the clones, he missed the branch he was trying to Shunshin on and fell, his head slamming into the ground. The real Naruto hated that feeling.)

The two remaining clones smiled. "Really, that is so awesome!" The first clone said.

"I mastered that jutsu like a boss, believe it!" The other spoke.

Shin merely nodded his head in agreement. "Or one could say, Like a Hokage."

The clones froze for a moment, and let out a small snicker. "That was kinda funny. Good one, Shin-sensei."

Shin didn't realize he had made a joke, so he simply thanked the clone for the compliment. "Now, I believe it is time for you to dispel."

The clones immediately began to whine. "Do we have to? We wanted to learn more about those chakra strings, or threads, or whatever you showed us yesterday."

"You mean the chakra threads? I still do not understand why you wish to learn them, you have no logical abilities that will compliment them. I only began to show them to you yesterday because I did not want to disappoint you, Naruto-san." Shin calmly explained.

A clone began to whine. "But it is really cool! It's like having wire, but stronger and you don't have to carry it! And I can use it for traps and stuff! And…and…I will figure out other ways to use it! Awesome ways to use it! So show me, please?"

Shin looked at the clone who had spoken, and the other clone who had joined in on the pleading. He let himself frown slightly, then nodded. "Alright then. I gave you an explanation of them yesterday, and showed how to create them. Today's task will be creating them. I warn you, however, it will not be a simple task. Understand?"

The clones nodded and got to work. Remembering what they had been told, they began the meticulous process of sending chakra to their fingertips, narrowing it to the size of wire, and slowly excrete them into the outside world. It was hard work, but they figured the boss would love it!

The boss was not loving the situation he was in. It was around noon, and Jiraiya had them stop at a taiyaki stand for lunch. Naruto had never been a giant fan of the fish shaped pastry, so he begrudgingly accepted the food, this one filled with red bean paste.

"So when are going to get down to the real stuff? All we've done is talk to girls that you have hit on, and have rejected you."

Jiraiya let out a sigh. "Gaki, you will learn in time that it is the real stuff that I was doing. You only see it as me flirting, which is why it works. Everyone knows I am a super pervert, so no one would expect me to use it as an opportunity to gather information."

Naruto just rolled his eyes. He then overheard a voice call out. "Jiraiya-sama!" He and Jiraiya turned to see a young man, no older than 19, running towards the author, an orange book in hand. Naruto happened to notice it was not the same one Kakashi always carried around, but still looked similar. Standing in front of the toad sage, he bowed. "It is a honor to meet you. You are my favorite author, and have taught me much. Please, will you, sign my book?" He asked, holding out the book with a pen.

Jiraiya let out a smirk. "Well, anything for a good fan of my literature." He took the book from the man's hands and began to sign.

The man smiled. "I was so inspired by your character Tsukado, and how she secretly yearned for her best friend Joraiyo. And, I must wonder, is it true that it was written by what happened between you and your teammate, Tsunade?"

Jiraiya let out a chuckle. "Oh, how I wish it was, my loyal little fan. I would have loved to have tasted a beauty such as her once in my life, but I cannot find her for the life of me."

The man let out a frown. "If you had been here a week earlier, you would have had the chance. My father owns the Konfotoin (Comfort Inn) nearby and hosted a card tournament last weekend. He told me how she tried her hand in it, and lost rather early. Her assistant paid off her debts before she left. Alas, I wish I could have seen a beauty as herself, even though she has left her youth."

Jiraiya snickered. "Kid, let me tell you a secret. No matter the age of the women, there will be youth to find under the sheets, if you know what I mean."

The man only grinned and nodded. "Thank you, Jiraiya-sama. I must leave, as I must return to work, but I hope you find your lovely Tsukado." He bowed, and left the two in the middle of the street.

Jiraiya turned to his apprentice. "Well, I guess our next stop is that hotel. From there, we can find who played in it, who talked to her, and hopefully find out where she was going to next. Don't fall behind, gaki."

Naruto didn't really want to respond to that stupid perverted luck, anyhow.

…

"This meeting seems ridiculous, Hiashi. We already must accept him."

"Yes, but will you support his policies as he announces them, or will you hold them in contempt." Hiashi challenged the civilian councilman.

The civilian did not say anything, but the other did. "So what if we do? We have the right to oppose them!"

Hiashi simply nodded. "And I whole-heartedly agree with that. However, if you come n board with my plan, then you will have little need for disagreeing."

"I believe you are putting too much weight on how much sway you will gain Hiashi." The original civilian argued.

"Am I? How much sway did your's hold over you, how long did it last? And you overlook the fact that the Uzumaki-sama is an orphan, among all else. He will thank me for this, and be easy to bend."

"Why do you lack the trust of Danzo so, Hiashi?" The second civilian asked.

Hiashi paused, and thought to himself why he did not like him so. It was not like he had ever offended the Hyuga clan, and had in fact opposed the Kumo offer of his sacrifice to end the hostilities between the two nations. However, Hiashi had to admit his motives always made him wary. He was a war-hawk, no doubt about it. He had always supported violence and destruction as his methods of protecting Konoha. While Hiashi did believe that violence could solve a problem, it was his carte blanche use of it that left him in poor tastes with the Hyuga clan leader.

"He is a kinjutsu, causing destruction to solve all his problems. I believe that sort of touch to leadership is a bad concept. What a leader must be, beyond all things, is flexible. Yes, a kinjutsu is occasionally needed, but so is espionage and alliances. My leadership skills that will be given to Uzumaki-sama are for his benefit and the title's benefit, and thus Konoha's benefit. I hope you can see that."

"And why will he accept your proposal in the first place? He has no good reason too."

At this, Hiashi couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed. He knew the tactic was somewhat unethical, and was going against the new leaf he was trying to turn, but it had to be done. "Because I will announce who the clan heiress will be. Once he learns of all the details, he will accept."

Elsewhere, Hinata was trying to listen in on the conversations of random shinobi of the village, and try to hear what they were saying. The fact that Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki had been after Naruto had become the buzz, so she hid in bush and behind building to hear anything that would explain the situation. It was after the lunch hour, as she had gone to a morning practice with her team under the guidance of Kiba's older sister, Hana, so she had little available news to listen to. Finally, a conversation had caught her ears.

"Do you think they were after him for… it?"

"No way, why would that want that?"

"No, but we both know how strong that demon is. If he could harness it, and be turned to be evil like them two, then he would be a giant threat."

"The Sandaime did tell us back then that he would be able to use it. So you really think they were after him for that?"

The person shrugged. "It's my best guess as to why they were chasing him. Can you think of any reason why guys like that Itachi would want him?"

"Well, he did beat the Hyuga kid, and he was said to be a prodigy, a lock-on for chunin. He should have won that fight, but from what I felt, I think he used the demon chakra."

"Hey, Hinata, why are you behind that bush?"

Hinata jumped to attention, surprised to see Hana Inuzuka crouching next to her.

"Hana-sensei!" Hinata immediately called out.

She waved her off. "Don't call me that, I was just helping you guys out today. So, why were you listening in onto their conversation?"

Hinata blushed, and didn't say anything. However, she noticed a glaring detail. "Ano, w-where are the Haimaru triplets?"

Hana shrugged. "Taking a nap. I swear, they can be the laziest dogs some time. But when I want to rest, or work? More hyperactive than the Uzumaki kid Kiba used to hang out with. Then again, wasn't that what they were talking about. Him, right?"

Hinata nodded, embarrassed that she had been caught. Hana simply smirked. "Not surprising, considered, what happened yesterday. I'm one of the few Inuzuka clan members not out on a hunting mission for those two, and that is because I have vet duties in case one of our nin-ken get hurt."

Hinata was not surprised by this information, as Kiba had explained it to her earlier. However, she was bold for a moment and asked, "Do you know what they meant by demon chakra?"

Hana stopped and paused. "No clue. I think mom would know, but she wouldn't tell me. Look, Kiba told me all about your little crush on Naruto," Hinata wanted to bury her head in some sand. Yes, she did like Naruto, she had realized this in the aftermath of her fight with Neji, but that didn't mean she wanted other people to know yet! "And all I know is this. The kid has…something with him that most adults don't like. I have a few theories, but nothing I want to make a guess with. I bet you are wondering what that is, aren't you?"

Hinata quietly nodded. "Hai. I was wondering w-why people like that would want Naruto. I thought they could be connected."

Hana simply nodded. "That does fit one theory, which would explain a few things. But I really doubt it's true. I hope you find your answer, hopefully not behind a bush, understand?" Hinata nodded.

"See you around, Hinata."

"Good day, Hana-san." Hinata left the spot, on her way home. She made a quick detour to help Team 7 with the Tora mission (the cat actually liked her), and wasn't sure what to think of Sai. Of course, the nickname Mumbles was a weird one as well.

Hana was thinking to herself as she departed from Hinata's company, the theory wrapping around her head. Naruto was the container for the Kyuubi. It had become a theory after she found out about the Ichibi in the Kazekage's son, but she didn't think it could be true. Though she wondered about the reaction of her brother and Naruto's admirer if that were the case.

…

Kisame was getting bored. And a bored Kisame is never a good thing.

"I spy with my little eye something,,,brown. Can you guess what it is Itachi-san?"

Itachi sighed. "Squirrel, 3 trees ahead, 1 tree left, seventh major branch, right side."

Kisame snapped his fingers. "You got it right! Your turn!"

Itachi just closed his eyes. "How long will you act like this?"

Kisame let go of the act and smirked. "Well, you told me to act less blood-thirsty, and I am. Isn't that what you want?"

Itachi just slowly rubbed the bridge of his nose. "We are not going to mount a second assault on Konoha, no matter how much you beg. We still have another day of reconnaissance before I go to stage two of my plan. Also, if my belief in our leader is correct, he will have a Zetsu helping us. I believe that we will soon be getting ready to contact us to give us information."

Kisame let out a sigh of relief. "Finally, I was getting annoyed that I haven't killed someone in a while. So, what is this stage two of yours?"

"I will enter as an ANBU and discover the whereabouts of Naruto that way."

Kisame only grunted. "Are you sure we can't do a second assault?"

Itachi was starting to get annoyed by his teammate. He was fine most of the time, but when he got ansy like so, it was a bother to deal with.

"Yes, Kisame, we can't."

"Alright then. Your turn to play I Spy, Itachi-san." He delved back into the role he had been playing earlier. Itachi merely closed his eyes again. He hated how his hatred of childness was being used against him.

The white Zetsu bunshin that had been tailing the group featuring Naruto was in his preparations for leaving and heading to find Itachi and Kisame, ready to give them an update on where they were staying. He was simply waiting to find out about his progress during the day, and then he would be on his way. He watched as Shin, the Jiraiya clone, the original Jiraiya, and a gaggle of Naruto's converged onto the field.

The real Jiraiya spoke. He directed his attention to the Rasengan clones. "So, were you able to pop the balloon?"

The clone who had named himself leader spoke. "No. We tried various methods, but none of them worked."

Jiraiya just shrugged. "Trying different things is a good route to go. Keep experimenting along that thought process and you should learn how to do the Rasengan in no time. Now, bunshin, report."

His other self smiled. "They did well in training, and advanced a considerable portion in their talents of handling genjutsus."

The original Naruto widened his eyes. "Genjutsu? That is what you had them do, Ero-sennin."

"You really should stop calling me that, and yes. Knowing how to recognize and disperse a genjutsu is a key shinobi skill. Shin, report on the progress of the Shunshin. I'm assuming there were no more accidents like the first one?"

Shin nodded. "Yes, Naruto-san has mastered the Shunshin."

Jiraiya simply nodded. "Excellent. Now, clones of the world, disperse!"

With that odd statement, all of the clones disappeared and their knowledge hit their users. Giving him a moment to process the information for a dozen clones, Jiraiya turned to Naruto. "Now, show me your mastery of the Shunshin."

With a nod, Naruto began a succession of Shunshin's, meant to show he could go whichever way. The Zetsu clone even jumped when he Shunshin'd on a branch directly over his hiding location, but he had no worries. His genjutsu was strong enough to-

"Oh, so you wanted me to see if I could recognize a genjutsu that is on something else? Ero-sennin, your clone went over that as well. Release!"

With that powerful statement, Zetsu realized that his secure, out of the way hiding spot had not been secure enough, as three sets of shinobi's eyes were glued onto him. He attempted to use the Kagero technique to escape, mad at himself for not having been using it the entire time. He had gotten lax, and had paid the price. However, he never had the chance to fully use the technique as a kunai buried itself in between his eyes, his death coming instantly.

"Shin, what are you doing! I was going to capture him alive!" Jiraiya yelled at the student.

Naruto had jumped down from his branch, surprised at how quickly the person had died. He began to try to remove him from the ground, but found it impossible. "Oi, I can't move him for some reason!"

Jiraiya let out a growl as he went to inspect the shinobi. He was only half a person, in an odd way, as it seemed the right side of his body was just filler for what was supposed to be there. However, he caught onto two important facts. That this looked quite like a shinobi he had been warned of, a man called Zetsu. No one knew of his origins, and his abilities were whispers, but this integration with his natural surroundings was one of them.

The second was the black robe with red clouds he wore.

"Naruto, we are leaving now. Get your possessions, and follow me."

"What is it? Who is he?"

Jiraiya let a sigh. "If I am correct, he is part of a group called Akatsuki, which once had Orochimaru as among its members, and currently has Itachi Uchiha and the legendary puppeteer Sasori of the Red Sands as his members. I have speculated that they were interested in the tailed beasts, but was not sure. However, this spy almost certainly proves it. Now, gather your things, Naruto, Shin, and let's go."

Naruto had many questions, but he saw how serious Jiraiya was at the moment. Deciding on waiting on asking more questions about this group, he quickly went back to the hotel, gathered their things, and gathered with Jiraiya and Shin at the edge of the forest.

"There is a village, a little more than a day away from here through the trees, that we will be heading to next. This village is compromised, and we need to get out before any more of him show up. Understand?"

Naruto was worried, but nodded his head. "Sure, what the name of the village we are going to?"

Jiraiya motioned for them to start jumping, and they followed. "The village is called Araoicho. (Rebirth Town)"

…..

So, that's a wrap. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter, and tell me what you think in the comment section below. If there is anything I have made unclear me, you can PM me or put in the message box. Have a good day!


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